Cause My Love is Secret
by Gabbymadd22
Summary: Based on a youtube video. Sam is back... Rachel knows that there was something unvoiced between them before he left and she had to try really hard to forget about him, but now everything returns. Will she realise that he is all that she's looking for?
1. Look Who's Back

**Hi there, Samchel lovers! This is my new story, which is based on a YouTube video since those are my specialty. Now I **_**know**_** that I should be working on my Blainchel story **_**I Can't Help Falling In Love With You**_**, but I already begged and pleaded with the YouTube user to turn their video into a story so I want to get started before my inspiration leaves my imagination. Sam has definitely been one of my favorite characters and the him and Rachel pairing has also been one of my favorites. If you aren't into big opening narratives like how the first bit of the story starts out, then feel free to scroll down to the dialogue. So everyone sit back, relax and watch me work my magic!**

Rachel casually strolled into Glee rehearsal and took her seat. When she sat down, she tried her best to hide the tears that had been threatening to shed all day.

She was sad for numerous reasons. First off, Mercedes, Quinn, Santana and Brittany were no longer in the New Directions. Santana got kicked out by Mr. Schuester who criticized her on her loyalty to the club, Mercedes quit because she thought he was showing too much favoritism toward Rachel. Santana convinced Brittany to quit the New Directions and join Shelby's new group, the Trouble Tones and Quinn decided to go bad over the summer.

The second reason why she was upset was because she had been suspended from school and performing at Sectionals for rigging the class President election and almost getting Kurt expelled. He was very shocked at first, but understood that she was only trying to be a good friend. Even his boyfriend Blaine didn't blame her. The only problem was that because of her suspension and lack of members, the New Directions didn't have a good chance at competing unless they had twelve members.

The very last reason why she was sad was because today marked five months since Sam moved away. She and Sam started dating in May and their relationship lasted until mid-July. Their relationship was short but really sweet. He was utterly sweeter than Finn with their relationship and even her Dads admitted that that preferred him. The best part was that they accepted each other for their flaws and weaknesses. He put up with her stubbornness and perfectionism and she put up with how he was more humorous at times. She also didn't care that he and his family were poor; she loved him all the same.

_Love_. That four letter word sent tingles down her spine whenever she thought about it or said it. The tragic part was that they never got to that point of bringing up the word. Sure, their relationship was sweet and somewhat intimate, but not enough to bring it up. She _knew_ that she was in love with him, but always chickened out right when she was about to say it. That worried her a little because she knew that he was one of the most attractive guys around and no girl would miss an opportunity to steal him away so she always made plans to say it sooner, but mentally cursed at herself whenever she pretty much almost choked trying to say that simple word.

Their relationship took a dodge ball to the face when Sam's dad announced that their family was moving to Kentucky in mid-July. Of course, _she_ would be the emotional one who everyone had to comfort. Her Dads tried her best doing everything they could, but only Sam could ease the pain just a tiny bit. He _promised_ that they would work it out, and he'll be back to visit with every opportunity he got. On the Evans' last night in Lima before the big move, her Dads invited them over to the house and cooked an extravagant dinner for them. They even proposed a toast, wishing the family the best of luck on their next adventure. Afterwards while everyone cleaned up, she and Sam sat on the porch swing in each other's arms. All the while, she cried into his shirt while he silently tried to hold back his own tears, telling her how sorry he was that he would have to miss her senior year. Again, he promised to work it out to which she was eternally grateful.

The next few weeks were amazingly painful. Sam was busy the first few days because he had to help his family unpack and settle into their new life. He missed no opportunity to call her whenever he could so they could ease each other's pain but after a while the calls became less frequent until they became rare.

Rachel still remembered that dreadful day when he made that dreadful phone call. He expressed that even though he missed her like crazy, it hurt him badly. Obviously he realized that they wouldn't be able to work out no matter how hard they tried and they would eventually meet new people who would help them forget about their summer fling. He wished her luck with her senior year and her future and hung up leaving her speechless. That call left her…bitter. Long gone were those feelings of warm fuzzy love. They were now replaced by bitterness, anger and resent. After a few days taken to process that dreadful call, she decided to take his advice and cleanse herself from him completely. She didn't want to _exactly_ forget him all together, so she took all her pictures and anything that reminded her of him and out them in a box that she kept on the top shelf of her closet. When she hid the box, it was if her soul was lifted from the dirt and she was a whole new person. No more Sam…no more.

Back to the present, she was hit by so many changes as the months went by starting her senior year. Santana, Brittany and Quinn leaving, Blaine transferring to McKinley, getting her dream role in _West Side Story_, applying for NYADA…and it made her slightly sad that Sam was missing it. There were occasional times when she thought about him. Was he thinking about her? Did her remember her like she remembered him? Did he move on with his life? Did he even _miss_ her?

_Stop it, Rachel!_ Her inner voice screamed at her. _He __**hurt**__ you, you're supposed to forget about him!_

Suddenly, she became aware that everyone had come in already. Blaine was sitting comfortably in his seat waiting for Kurt, Puck was trying not to dose off before Mr. Schuester arrived, Finn was helping the new kid Rory with his homework, Tina was busy snuggling with Mike, and Artie was cleaning his wheelchair wheels.

Mercedes and Kurt bounced in the room giggling like little girls. They took their seats next to her.

"Why are you so giggly?" She asked them.

They exchanged glances and started giggling again. "We have a surprise."

She eyed Mercedes. "And who is this surprise for, may I ask?"

She shrugged. "Well…the surprise is for everyone…sort of."

Mr. Schuester came in with his usual enthusiastic smile. "Hey, everyone! How are you all doing?"

Mercedes and Kurt raised their hands. "Mr. Schue, before we do anything else, we have a surprise for the rest of the club."

Mr. Schuester raised his eyebrow. "Um…is this a _good_ surprise?"

Mercedes nodded. "I think it'll cheer us up a bit after all that's happened. We found a member to add to our group. Hopefully it'll give us some hope."

Mr. Schuester shrugged. "Um…sure. Where is this person?"

Kurt opened the door and let the person in.

Rachel literally felt her heart stop. _Sam Evans_…in the flesh…was back.

He smiled his amazing smile. "Hey guys, I'm back!"

Tina sprang up in her seat. "Sam! What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Mercedes and Kurt drove all the way up to Kentucky and convinced me to come back. And I _wanted_ to; I missed to all too much."

Everyone came up one by one and hugged and welcomed him back.

Rachel suddenly remembered her bitter feelings she still harbored for him and crossed her arms.

When everyone was done petting him, he noticed that Rachel was the only one still sitting. "Hi, Rachel."

She nodded politely, averting his gaze. "Hello, Sam. Welcome back."

He chuckled playfully and started walking toward her. "Come on, Rachie, give me a hug. Everyone else did! Don't you want to welcome your old boyfriend back?"

She snarled like a cat and sprang up. "Don't even come any closer to me, Sam! You don't _deserve_ a hug from me!"

Sam dropped his arms hurt. "Rachel…come on…"

She stepped back a few steps. "No, Sam."

Finn looked confused. "That's kinda harsh, Rachel."

She whipped her head and glared at him. "I can't forgive him for hurting me this summer, Finn. You may be back to help us win Sectionals but I am _so_ not forgiving you!" She picked up her bag and walked to the door. "Mr. Schuester, I will be starting my week long suspension now." She huffed and walked out the door with her nose in the air.

Sam swallowed nervously. "Suspension?"

Kurt patted his shoulder. "Long story, we'll tell you later."

Mr. Schuester cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well…would you like to start us off with a welcome back solo, Sam?"

Sam nodded. He decided not to let Rachel's outburst bother him…for now. He fished his guitar out of his backpack. "All right, enough of this drama. Let's liven things up! Who knows the song _Red Solo Cup_?"

**How's THIS for a start? Enjoy, Samchel fans!**


	2. Take a Few Steps Back

**Wow, thanks for liking the first chapter! I can tell this is going to be great!**

After Glee rehearsal, Sam decided to look for Rachel and try to make amends with her.

Before he walked into the choir room, he felt excited that he would be able to see her again. Ever since he broke up with her over the phone, she was on his mind more than usual. But it wasn't like he _wanted_ to break up with her; he really did want to work it out. However, after a few weeks in Kentucky, he made some new friends that convinced him that long-distant relationships _never_ work out and he panicked. So in the spur of the moment, he whipped out his phone, called her to deliver that rushed statement and hung up without letting her say anything. The minute he hung up, he instantly felt really guilty and hoped she would call back and change his mind. When she didn't, he felt as if she agreed with him and decided to move on. The months continuing weren't easy. She was literally _all _he thought about night and day. So many times he wanted to bulk up the courage to call her up and apologize…and even say that long awaited L word but always chickened out.

_Love_. That word could have been used in so many ways with their relationship. Like how he _loved_ the way she scrunched her face up when she sang high notes and squealed when he tickled her sides. Or how he _loved_ that she wasn't all about make-outs like his relationship with Santana was or there was no one coming between them like his relationship with Quinn. Or even how he started liking her when she and Finn convinced him not to quit Glee Club when they found out he was poor. She didn't _care_ that he was poor and his family loved her for that. It really tore him apart when his Dad announced that the family was moving to Kentucky. That would mean he'd have to miss her senior year and who knew when he would see her again! Someone up there must have been smiling down on him and sent Kurt and Mercedes to fetch him and convince him to come back. Even though Mercedes was playing for the other team, she still offered him the extra guest room at her house. He felt a thrill of excitement because first off, he would see his friends again and second, he'd be able to patch things up with Rachel. He was quite shocked though, at her outburst in the choir room.

After a while of searching, he finally found her at her locker cleaning her stuff out. "There you are, Rachel."

She turned to him and frowned. "What do _you_ want?"

He crossed his arms. "Ok, I just got back. Why are you being so bitter toward me?"

She turned away from him and continued shoving things into her backpack. "I've been bitter toward you ever since you dumped me. But I'm fine now…I'm almost midway through my senior year and a lot has happened that you _missed_ but I'm ok."

He sighed and leaned against the locker next to hers. "Kurt told me why you got suspended."

"Big mouth." She muttered under her breath.

He shrugged. "Hey, I think it's pretty cool that you sacrificed yourself to save him. And you were only trying to be a good friend."

She rolled her eyes. "Well yes, that's me. Always trying to be the better friend."

After a few seconds of silence, he cleared his throat. "So…I heard you got to finally play Maria in West Side Story. I wish I could have seen it."

She scoffed. "Do you? Do you _really_?"

He sighed frustrated. "You know, you're not making this small talk thing easy for me."

She slammed her locker shut loudly and turned to him. "Sam, you think you can just break up with me, come back and expect to make easy _small talk_ with me?"

He frowned. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I panicked! I really didn't think it would work-"

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Sam, you didn't even let me have a say! You just called, said it all in one breath and hung up. Do you know how much I _hated_ you for doing that!? You _ruined_ my summer…what happened to promising to work it out?"

He hung his head. "Look, I'm sorry. I came back to apologize hoping that we could patch things up. I _really_ never meant to hurt you, Rachel."

She averted his gaze. "I can't just forgive you that easy, Sam. And there's no way we can go back to the way things were just like _that_."

He looked away impatiently and blew some air out. "Fine…if you're going to be that stubborn, then can we at _least _just go back to being friends? You know, before this whole relationship thing ever happened?"

Her eyes widened. "You want to forget about our relationship?"

He shrugged again. "Well not really…but if it's what it takes to make you stop acting like I'm Satan, then we can rewind."

His proposal made her heart ache in so many ways but she wasn't going to cave in. She stuck her upper lip out and nodded. "Fine…just friends. Welcome back, Sam." She picked up her backpack. "I'm going home to start my week long suspension. See you next week."

After she left, Sam literally felt like punching the lockers. Not because she was still upset about their breakup, she had the right to be. He was _really_ hoping that they could get back together, but if he had to take a few steps back to stay in her good graces, then he would.

**All right, so here's chapter two. Yup, it's pretty short, but it's all I could think of. Now, I'm not sure when I'll be able to work on chapter three because my spring break starts up next week and I'm flying to New York for my Aunt's wedding. But I promise, I'll start getting back to work as soon as I get back. Ciao, my cherubs!**


	3. Jealousy is a Sin

**All right, well you're probably wondering "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Well...I have my reasons. My laptop got infected to I had to install an anti-virus program...the downside is that my Microsoft Word program got botched up and I can't even open any of my files anymore. So I had to install the Microsoft Office alternate, Open Office which is working nicely for now which means I can A. work on my English Final Term Paper and B. pick up where I left off! So enjoy!**

The whole week of Rachel's suspension went by so slow, she could remember every _second_ of it. Because all her friends were in school, she would be stuck being bored at home while her Dads were at work.

Kurt was kind enough to fill her in with the latest school gossip but she still felt upset that she couldn't be at school witnessing it herself with him. He was also nice enough to bring her make-up work every day.

One night, Kurt called her gave her the most shocking news she ever heard.

"_Quinn rejoined Glee Club."_

She shot up on her bed. "Wait, are you serious?"

"_Yeah, I don't know why or how, she just showed up today and acted like nothing happened. Oh, and her hair isn't pink anymore. That's a relief!"_

She giggled. "Totally, pink hair is _so_ not her color."

He chuckled. _"So how's your week of suspension going?"_

She sighed frustrated. "Totally boring! I miss you all, I can't _wait_ until I go back. You're not mad at me for what I did, are you?"

He paused before answering. "_Honestly, I was at first. But then I understood that you were being the best friend I ever had so no, I'm not mad anymore."_

She smiled. "That's good, I hate it when my best friend's mad at me. How are you and Blaine doing?"

"_We're doing great, we miss you. Can you join us for lunch at the Lima Bean after we get out of school tomorrow?"_

"Sure, I'd be glad too." She replied.

"Rachel, dinner!" Leroy called from downstairs.

She frowned. "Gotta go, Kurt. Dinner's calling."

"_All right, see you tomorrow. Bon appetite!"_

"Thanks, bye-bye."

She was quite during dinner. Her Dads noticed and stared at her concerned.

"Are you ok, honey? You're not really eating and I made your favorite." Hiram stated.

She swirled her pasta around her plate. "I'm not really that hungry tonight."

Leroy grinned. "You're probably just depressed out of boredom. No worries sweet pea, your week of suspension is almost up."

She set her fork down. "It's not just that, Daddy. It's something else."

Hiram took a bite out of his pasta. "Oh? Pray tell."

She sighed. "Sam's back at McKinley."

Suddenly, both Hiram and Leroy dropped their forks. "Sam? As in the boy you dated until he moved and then he broke up with you over the phone and ruined the rest of your summer?"

She covered her ears. "Dad, I _really_ didn't need to relive that."

Leroy took a sip of water. "Sorry, honey. But why is he back?"

"Well since Mercedes, Santana and Brittany left the New Directions and I can't compete with them, Kurt and Mercedes went all the way to Kentucky to fetch him to fill the spots."

Hiram smiled. "Why, that's great! I don't see why you're upset about it."

She looked at him exasperated. "Dad, this is the boy who _ruined_ my summer! It's totally awkward."

Leroy patted her hand. "Dearie, what happened is past now. Now he's back to help the Glee Club so I really think you should give him a break."

"Did he say anything to you?" Hiram asked.

She nodded. "He apologized for hurting me and wants us to at least be friends."

Leroy shrugged. "Rachel, I know that he hurt you, but you should give him a break for at least wanting to get back on good terms with you."

She sighed. "I suppose. It sucks how Berrys can never hold a grudge for so long."

_**Monday**_

Rachel breathed deeply as she stepped into the school. Honestly, she _never_ actually thought she'd miss it. The first place she went to was her locker to get her books. Kurt and Blaine were kind enough to guard her locker and made sure no one messed with it while she was gone.

As she gathered her books, she started hearing whispers and giggles around her. And what everyone was whispering sure wasn't pleasant.

_It's the Glee Club diva that almost got Kurt Hummel in trouble!_

_She should have been kicked out of school for good, Kurt didn't deserve that!_

_Way to almost get her best friend in trouble!_

She started getting anxious and frantically shut her locker but jumped when she saw Kurt and Blaine standing behind the door.

They smiled and kissed her cheek hello. "Darling, it's so nice of you to grace us with your presence at this school. It felt totally dull and bland without you."

She crossed her arms. "People are whispering about what I did. I'm feeling anxious."

Blaine frowned. "Ignore them, you were only trying to be a good friend."

Kurt wrapped his arm around her. "Come on, let's get to class."

Suddenly, they heard some familiar giggling coming from the other side of the hall. She turned and was shocked to see Quinn walking down the hall with Sam, smiling and laughing.

She instantly started feeling jealous and she clenched her teeth.

Kurt leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Oh...I forgot to mention that Sam was the one who convinced Quinn to rejoin."

She gulped. "Are they together?"

Blaine shook his head. "It looks like it, but no. I think he's only pretending to be nice to her so she'll stay in the club. But no, they're not together."

Kurt nuzzled her. "No need to be jealous."

She composed herself and stiffened up. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Sam and I had a thing but now we're just friends. I'm not jealous."

Blaine hugged her. "That's our girl. Now come on, we're going to be late for class."

They began walking and as they walked passed Sam and Quinn, Sam smiled.

"Hey, Rachel! Great to have you back."

Quinn just rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Jealousy is a sin." Rachel told herself.

_**Glee**_

Rachel walked into the choir room and looked around. Kurt and Blaine were already there chatting, Tina and Mike were working on dance moves, Puck was napping in his seat, while Finn and Rory were working on homework. The only people missing were Sam and Quinn.

Finn looked up and smiled. "Hey there, Rachel! You're back!"

Tina walked up and hugged her. "So glad to have you back."

Mike walked up and put his hand on her shoulder. "Wait til you see what we're doing for Sectionals. We are going to kick ass!"

Mr. Schuester walked in and accidentally bumped into her. "Oh hey there, Rach! Great to have you back, take your seat please."

She took her seat in between Kurt and Blaine.

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together. "All right, Sectionals is next week, so let's get moving on our Michael Jackson Medley!"

Suddenly the door burst open and Sam ran in. "Sorry I'm late! I was working on a little something...may I perform it for everyone?"

Mr. Schuester smiled. "Sure, go ahead, Sam. All performances are welcome."

Sam cleared his throat and laughed. "All right, well I've been working on this for a while. But I need a special partner to sing this song with..."

Rachel could have sworn he was eying her when he said that so she sat up straighter. Was he _really_ going to ask her to sing with him?"

The door opened again and this time Quinn walked in carrying his guitar. The same guitar Rachel and Finn bought back for him last year.

_Do you hear me, I'm talking to you  
Across the water across the deep blue ocean  
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying_

Quinn smiled like a naive schoolgirl and sang along.

_Boy, I hear you in my dreams  
I feel your whisper across the sea  
I keep you with me in my heart  
You make it easier when life gets hard_

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

_They don't know how long it takes  
Waiting for a love like this  
Every time we say goodbye  
I wish we had one more kiss  
I'll wait for you, I promise you, I will_

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
Lucky we're in love in every way  
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed  
Lucky to be coming home someday

And so I'm sailing through the sea  
To an island where we'll meet  
You'll hear the music fill the air  
I'll put a flower in your hair  
Though the breezes through the trees  
Move so pretty you're all I see  
As the world keeps spinning round  
You hold me right here right now

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
I'm lucky we're in love in every way  
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed  
Lucky to be coming home someday

Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh  
Ooooh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

At the end of the song, everyone clapped and cheered except for Rachel. She felt her eye twitching but Kurt squeezed her hand.

"Remember, it's only to keep her in the club."

"Shut up." She muttered.

**All right, there you go. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

The more Rachel saw Sam acting all friendly with Quinn, the more jealous she got. She tried to tell herself that jealousy would get her nowhere but it was no help.

Finally she decided that in order to clear her conscience, she had to beat him at his own game. Or at least prove to him that she was officially over him. But who could help? Mike was dating Tina, Puck would probably only want sex, Artie wasn't her type, and Kurt had Blaine so all that was left was...Finn.

Now mind you, she and Finn were quite on and off last year before she and Sam started dating. Maybe if she flaunted him subtly and didn't _tell_ him that he was being used to make Sam jealous, then it could probably work out. She would make sure it wouldn't turn into an on-relationship again, she would just make sure to flaunt him quickly until her conscience was clear and be done with it.

After Glee rehearsal that day, she approached him. "Hi there, Finn."

He smiled at her. "Hey Rachel, what's up?"

She put on her shy schoolgirl smile and shrugged. "Oh...nothing much. I really think you did a good job today. Whose idea was it to do a Michael Jackson medley?"

He put his books in his backpack. "It was Artie's idea. He's a big fan and thought it would be quite entertaining."

She giggled. "Well he's right, it was _quite_ entertaining."

He stopped and looked at her uncomfortably. "Um...do you want something? Because you never stayed after to make small talk with me ever since we stopped dating."

She rubbed her neck nervously. "But we're still _friends_, right? Friends can still make small talk."

He shrugged. "I guess so. So what's up?"

She shuffled her foot uncomfortably. "Um...would you like to do a duet with me in Glee sometime? You know, like old times."

His jaw dropped. "You want to do a duet with _me_ again? What gave you that idea?"

"Come on Finn, you have to admit that we make a great team musically. Please?" She said pleadingly.

He thought for a minute. "All right, I guess. What song do you want to do?"

She smiled and went over to the piano. "Well, it would be unprofessional to recycle any of our old duets." She spotted Brad the pianists' big stack of sheet music and started rummaging through it."

"Uh, Rachel." Finn began. "I'm pretty sure Brad wouldn't like us messing up his stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be just a minute and I promise I'll clean it up. Besides, we've never heard him speak before, what makes you think he'll start now?"

After shuffling through the sheets, she finally picked one up. "Ah, this one! Remember when we were supposed to sing _Don't Go Breaking My Heart_ for duets week but decided not to in order to let Sam and Quinn win the contest? Let's do that one!"

Finn walked up to her and looked at the sheets. "Ok, that's cool. When do you want to perform it?"

She set the papers down on the piano. "Whenever we're ready of course. Tomorrow...next week...whenever."

They practiced the words for a few minutes. While they were rehearsing, she kept playfully flipping hair and _accidentally_ letting her cardigan slip off her shoulder at random times.

After about the fifth time, he stopped singing. "I think that sweater might be too big for you. It keeps slipping off your shoulder."

She pouted. "Well...what am I supposed to do? I only picked this cardigan because it matched my outfit."

Finn leaned his chin inn his hand and looked at her up and down. "Well maybe you can just button it. I don't think it will slip off if you button in."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Finn, I _never_ button my cardigans!"

He shrugged. "Hey, it was just a suggestion. I just keep getting distracted everytime you move and it slips off."

She sighed and played with the buttons pretending that they were too small. "Can you button it for me? The buttons are too small."

He looked down at his hands. "Me? My hands are bigger than yours!"

She crossed her arms. "Please? It'll be easier buttoning it from your point of view than mine."

He smiled and walked over to her. "All right, but this might take a while."

Finn was right: his hands WERE too big for the buttons but she decided not to let it bother her. They stood there for about five minutes as he squinted his eyes really tight trying to delicately put the buttons in the hole.

Suddenly, the door opened and Sam walked in. Finn was too busy fumbling with the buttons to notice.

"Come on, you stupid buttons!"

Rachel eyed Sam who looked at her questioningly. She gave him a flirty smile to which he rolled his eyes. "Take your time, Finn. I don't want my cardigan _slipping off my shoulder _again."

Sam headed to his seat, grabbed his backpack and left the room without looking at them.

Finn looked up. "Was that Sam?"

She nodded and looked down. "Hey, you got a button!"

Finn dropped the cardigan and looked at her suspiciously. "You smiled at him...wait a second! You're only using me to make him jealous!"

She stood back shocked. "What? No I'm not, Finn!"

He glared at her. "Come on, Rachel, it doesn't take an idiot to put two and two together. You _planned_ your sweater slipping off so I'd button it. When Sam walked in, you smiled and emphasized _slipping off your shoulder_."

After a few seconds of shaking her head no, she had no choice but to nod her head in defeat. "All right, you caught me Finn. I'm sorry."

He crossed his arms. "Why would you do that, Rach?"

She leaned against the piano. "Isn't it obvious? He's not happy that I agreed to be _just friends_ so he's using Quinn to make me see what I've been missing. I just want to beat him at his own game." She clicked her tongue and twirled her hair. "I'm so sorry, Finn. I didn't know what I was thinking, I'm so sorry. You don't have to do the duet with me if you don't want to."

He paused before answering. "I'll still do it with you."

She looked up surprised. "I beg your pardon?"

He shrugged. "Sam and I have never really...gotten along too well. And when I heard that he hurt you over the summer, it made me even madder at him. Honestly Rachel, you get along well without him."

"If you didn't like him, then why did you help me convince him to come back o school last year? Why did you help me buy back his guitar?"

"Because I knew you wanted to. Are you trying to get him back or something?"

She shook her head. "Pshh, no. I just want to make him jealous so we're even. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction of making me miserable. I want to show him that anything he can do, I can do better."

Finn suddenly got an idea. "Wait a second...isn't that a song? From a musical?"

She sighed. "Yes, Finn. It's from the musical _Annie Get Your Gun_, a musical about the famous cowgirl Annie Oakley."

He nodded. "Then why don't we do _that_ song instead?"

She looked up at him seriously. "I don't think so, Finn. It's not a good song for your voice and it's not enough to prove anything to him."

He nodded understandingly. "Ok, that's fine. So we're still sticking to the original song."

"Yup." She replied.

He thought for a second. "And maybe after duet, I can help you continue to get back at him if you want."

"Thanks, but no thanks." She said doing a pirouette around the room. "Pretending to date someone is a big low even for me. We'll just do the duet and then I'll take things from there."

He hopped off the piano and grabbed the sheets. "Fair enough. Let's start rehearsing."

_**Two Days Later**_

"Mr. Schuester, Finn and I have a song we'd like to sing." Rachel declared.

Mr. Schuester nodded. "All right, go ahead."

Finn grabbed his drumsticks out of his backpack and took his place at the drums. As Rachel got u, Kurt and Blaine grabbed her arms.

"Are you insane?" Kurt hissed. "Jealousy is a sin, remember?"

She shook her arms free and turned to the class. "Now before you all assume that anything is going on between me and Finn, I would proudly like to point out that we decided as co-captains to bring a little life and joy back to the club before Sectionals."

Sam pretended to yawn and put his arm around Quinn who leaned against him. Rachel felt her eye twitch again but she kept her smile on her face.

Finn started up with the band and began singing.

_Don't go breaking my heart  
I couldn't if I tried  
Honey if I get restless  
Baby you're not that kind_

Don't go breaking my heart  
You take the weight off me  
Honey when you knock on my door  
I gave you my key

Rachel looked over at Sam and noticed that he was pretending to be bored. He kept smiling down at Quinn who fell asleep against his shoulder.

Finn got up from the drums and started twirling her around.

_Whoo-hoo_

_Nobody knows it  
When I was down  
I was your clown  
Whoo-hoo_

_Nobody knows it  
Right from the start  
I gave you my heart_

_Oh-oh  
I gave you my heart_

Everyone enjoyed the performance so much, they started singing and clapping along. Rachel once again looked back at Sam and saw plenty of emotions in his eyes: hurt, shock, disappointment.

_Don't go breaking my heart  
I won't go breaking your heart (don't go breaking my,don't go breaking my)  
Don't go breaking my heart (don't go breaking my,don't go breaking my)  
I won't go breaking your heart (don't go breaking my,don't go breaking my)  
Don't go breaking my heart (don't go breaking my,don't go breaking my)  
I won't go breaking your heart_

Everyone clapped politely when the song ended. Rachel and Finn high-fived and took their seats. She took one more look at Sam and was shocked to see tears in his eyes. Were they tears of disappointment? Were they tears of sadness? Oh well, she was satisfied.

**And there you have it. Enjoy!**


	5. Bury the Hatchet

**Hey there! So now that college is over, I can juggle between my Blainchel story and this one which is great! And this scene was lost somewhere in the video but I'm going to mix the scenes up a bit. I surely do hope the maker of the video won't be mad at me.**

**So enjoy!**

It was the day of Sectionals! Everyone got to the choir room early to change into their costumes. Tina had made white on black tuxedo jackets and the girls got to wear skirts under theirs instead of pants.

Since Rachel couldn't perform with them, she volunteered to help backstage. Her job was to make sure everyone's costume fit well and to fetch anything needed. The good part was that she got to watch the performance in the audience with Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury.

After she was sure everyone seemed ready, she approached Sam who was having trouble fixing his bow tie.

"Here, let me help you." After she fixed it, she adjusted his jacket. "Everything fit?"

He nodded. "We're all good."

She rocked back and forth of her feet. "Look, Sam, that day I did the duet with Finn I noticed you crying-"

Sam turned to her. "I wasn't crying because of _you_, Rachel. I was crying because Quinn kept squeezing my arm tightly when she fell asleep and it hurt. That's all."

She frowned. "Are you sure?"

He turned toward the mirror and ruffled his hair. "Why would I cry over you singing a duet with Finn? I thought we agreed to just be friends."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, you're right about that."

He shrugged. "Then what's there to cry about? How do I look?"

She brushed off the sleeves of his jacket. "You look...handsome."

He frowned. "Why do _you___look sad?"

It was true: she felt tears prickling her eyes but she blinked them away. "It's just-just that I _really_ wanted to sing this medley with you guys. And I would have loved to wear this costume."

He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you would have looked fantastic in it. You'll be in the front row row rooting for us, right?"

She nodded. "Of course I will."

He chuckled. "Awesome. And just so you know that when I'm singing the medley, I'll be thinking of you." He said with a wink.

She smiled and instantly felt flattered. "I think I'll take that as a compliment."

"Everyone, you're on in fifteen minutes! Gather in the center of the room so we can do warm ups." Mr. Schuester called out. "Rachel, can you see if Quinn's still in the bathroom?"

Sam looked back at her. "Well, duty calls. Give me a kiss for luck."

Her eyes widened. Friends do not _kiss_ each other, good luck or not! She was about to decline but he laughed and tapped his cheek. She sighed in relief and gave him a quick peck.

He patted her shoulder. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Now go on, find Quinn."

She ran into the hallway and toward the bathroom when she bumped into Quinn who was on her way back.

Quinn held her out by the shoulders. "Geeze, are you trying to kill me before we perform?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Quinn. But Mr. Schuester sent me out to fetch you because you guys are on in fifteen minutes and wanted to do warm ups."

Quinn brushed off her jacket. "I've been keeping track on the time, you didn't need to run."

She stepped around her but Rachel called out to her. "Quinn, wait!"

Quinn turned to her and sighed impatiently. "What is it _now_, Rachel?"

Rachel shuffled her foot uncomfortably. "Before you go, are you and Sam like...dating now?"

Quinn's eyes widened. "You're asking me about _Sam_? I thought you didn't like him anymore."

Rachel shrugged. "Well not _romantically..._at least I _hope_ not romantically..."

Quinn tilted her head not buying it. "You still like him."

Rachel gasped and shook her head frantically. "No, no, Quinn! We're just friends!"

Quinn crossed her arms. "Come on, admit it. You can say all you want that you still don't like him but deep down inside you still do."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Quinn, he broke my heart over the summer. I don't forgive and forget that easy."

Quinn threw her head back and laughed. "All right, keep telling yourself that. But to answer your question, no Sam and I aren't dating. I really don't think boys are good for my health right now. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go warm up with the rest of the group."

She started walking but Rachel called out again.

"Quinn!"

Quinn stopped walking but didn't turn around. She scowled for missing the warm ups but didn't want to appear too rude.

Rachel sighed. "I know that you were pretty hard on me again at the beginning of the year, but I still want to be your friend."

Quinn turned to look at her with a blank expression on her face.

Rachel smiled weakly. "So...are we still friends?"

After a few seconds, Quinn smiled and nodded. "Still friends." Then she headed to the choir room.

Rachel folded her arms and sighed in relief. Quinn wasn't bitter to her and Sam was...never mind.

After the group warmed up, Mr. Schuester took them to the auditorium to get into position. Rachel took her seat in the front row.

The crowd was pumping as they sang through _ABC_, _Control_ and _Man in the Mirror_. During Sam's solo, he kept sneaking glances at Rachel and even winked at her.

Ms. Pillsbury noticed and nudged her but Rachel gave her a smile that said _I do not wish to acknowledge the fact that my ex boyfriend winked at me during his performance_.

After all the groups performed, the judges announced that the New Directions had won Sectionals. Everyone cheered and celebrated once back in the choir room. Rachel stood smiling in the background. Why should she celebrate with them? She didn't get to perform, so why should she be as happy as they are?

When Artie announced that he was treating everyone to ice cream, she took that as her cue to leave the choir room sadly. As much as she _wanted_ to join them, she knew that all she could to was congratulate them and expect no one to praise _her_.

Mr. Schuester bid them all good-bye and exited the choir room. He saw Rachel looking impatiently at her phone.

"Hey there, Rachel. Thanks for helping out tonight."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'm glad to help."

He pointed into the choir room. "Everyone's going out for ice cream. Are you going too?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I think I'm just going to go home. It's been a long night for me."

"Do you have a ride? I don't mind driving you home." He said.

She chuckled. "I'm fine, my Dads dropped me off so I expect they're picking me up too."

He nodded and put his and on her shoulder. "All right, take it easy tonight. But if they can't pick you up, just call me and I'll come back from wherever I am and come get you."

She shook her head. "No, Mr. Schuester, you don't have-"

He held his hand up. "It' s my rule as a teacher, Rachel. Just give me a call, I'll come back for you."

She nodded. "All right, thank you Mr. Schuester."

After he left, she tried calling her Dads a few times but none of them answered. Sam saw her in the hallway and left the choir room to join her.

"Hey there, Rach."

She looked up and smiled. "Hi there, Sam! Great job tonight."

He nodded. "Thanks. Hey, Artie's treating us all to ice cream. Do you want to come?"

She shook her head. "Nah, it's been a long night. I'm just going to go home."

Sam stuck his hands in his pocket. "Oh, all right. Do you have a ride?"

She held up her phone. "My Dads took me tonight and I'm trying to call them to pick me up but they're not answering."

"Oh, I see. Well I can give you a ride." He replied.

She put her phone down. "Oh...well, that's very sweet of you Sam but Mr. Schuester told me to call him if my Dads didn't pick up."

He reached out and took her hand. "Come on Rachel, I don't mind. I feel bad that you're left out because you don't think you can celebrate with us."

She pulled her hand back and frowned. "Oh, so now I'm a charity case?"

Sam laughed. "I'm just kidding. But yes, I'd hate for you to be stranded or relying on Mr. Schuester to get you home. He's probably already long gone by now. I don't mind driving you, really, Rach."

She eyed the choir room. "What about ice cream with everyone else?"

He shrugged. "They'll be plenty of other celebrations, but I wouldn't want to celebrate them without you. Now are we going to go or are we going to sleep in this hallway because I'm not leaving without you."

They stared at each other for a few seconds and she finally sighed in defeat. "Fine, you can drive me home."

He grinned. "Great! I was also planning on stopping by Hal's Diner for a quick bite to eat because I didn't get to eat dinner. Is that ok?"

She nodded. "Yes, that's fine. I'm kind of hungry too."

He took her hand and they began walking down the hallway. "Awesome. What are you going to have? My treat."

She pulled her hand back again. "Don't get carried away, Sam. We're going to eat as _friends_ so I'm paying for my own food."

He rolled his eyes. "Same old Rachel Berry...stubborn, yet beautiful."

She smiled, glad that she and Sam were finally coming to an understanding.

**And there we go. Read and review, peeps!**


	6. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

**Hi, there! So I'm going to be taking a small break from my other story so I can get this one moving along. This scene is definitely not in the video, I wanted to add it so I wouldn't pull a Marty McFly and jump through time. Let's pretend the whole Christmas Special thing didn't happen. Ok? Good.**

**Enjoy everyone!**

It was the night of Christmas Eve. Rachel and her Dads already celebrated Hanukkah and they were spending a quiet Christmas Eve at home.

Hiram was reading a book in his armchair by the fire, Leroy was teaching himself how to play chess and Rachel was admiring one of the gifts her Dads gave her: an assortment of hair ornaments.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Rachel, can you get it, pumpkin?"

She set down the ornaments and headed to the door. When she opened it, she was shocked to see Sam and Rory all bundled up and holding a tin can.

"Sam, Rory! What a surprise, what are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Hey there, Rachel. Merry Christmas."

"Good evening, Rachel." Rory said.

She nodded. "Merry Christmas to you too, boys. What's with the can?"

Sam held it out to her. "We're going around door-to-door collecting donations for the Salvation Army. Would you like to donate?"

She looked confused. "Why are you doing this on Christmas Eve? Shouldn't you be celebrating with Mercedes' family?"

Sam shrugged. "I did for a while. We went to evening mass and I stayed for a quick dinner but then I had to hurry off because I promised Quinn I'd help her and Coach Sylvester out at the homeless shelter. I worked there for about two hours and then I remembered that Rory wanted to do some volunteer work too so here we are."

Rory pulled his scarf tighter and shivered. "It's really cold out tonight."

"Who's at the door, sweetheart?" Leroy called from inside the house.

"Just Sam and Rory collecting donations for the Salvation Army. Do you want to make a donation?" She called back.

Suddenly they both appeared at the door. "Gosh, it's freezing out there! You boys must be cold, would you like to step inside for a minute?"

She was about to protest but Rory spoke up. "Sure, we'd love to! I see you have a fire in there, I could really warm up."

Hiram smiled. "Good, come on in! The more the merrier!"

Sam looked at Rachel uncertainly. "Um...we'll come in if we're _allowed_ to."

Rachel giggled and held the door open for them. "Come on in, I'm not going to leave you out in the cold."

When they came inside, they took off their coats, scarves and gloves and hung them on the coat rack.

Rory looked around. "Wow, nice house! Very home-ey."

She nodded politely. "Thank you, Rory. The fireplace is in the living room that way if you wanted to sit by it and warm up. I just baked a fresh batch of holiday cookies and made some hot chocolate if you wanted some too."

They sat in the living room by the fire while Rachel fetched the food.

"Are you just staying in tonight, Mr. Berry? You're not doing a big celebration?" Rory asked.

"I'm Jewish, Rory." Hiram said. "So our family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas. Our Hanukkah celebrations are usually more festive so yes, we are staying in tonight for Christmas."

Rachel emerged from the kitchen with a plate of cookies and hot chocolate. "Here you boys are. Have as much as you like, there's plenty."

She retreated back to the kitchen but Sam called out "Aren't you going to join us?"

She turned back to him and smiled. "Of course I am, I'm just getting my cup of cocoa."

A few minutes later, she emerged with her cup and sat next to him by the fire. Sam could help but stare at her black and white polka dot dress.

She noticed him staring and turned away blushing.

"So how much money have you boys collected so far?" Leroy asked.

Sam shrugged. "Honestly I have no idea. We started collecting an hour ago and we've gotten a lot of change and bills but we haven't had time to count."

"You can count here." Rachel said, reaching across him for a cookie. "I'm good at numbers, so I can help."

Sam and Rory dumped both their cans onto the carpet and all three of them began counting. It turns out that so far, they've collected $67.10.

"Wow, that's a lot!" Hiram exclaimed. "You boys sure have done a great job since you started."

Rory looked at Sam. "Hey Sam, since we're here, are you going to give Rachel her Christmas present?"

Rachel's eyes widened. "You got me a present?"

Sam's face started turning red and he turned his face away from them. "Present? What present?"

Rory suddenly looked confused. "You told me you were going to give Rachel a present if we stopped by her house and told me to bring one too."

"You _both_ got me a present?" Rachel asked.

Rory nodded and went to his coat. Out of the pocket, he produced a small Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer plush toy.

"Sorry it's not extravagant, but Sam told me at last minute. This is an odd looking dog, why is its nose red?"

She giggled. "It's a long story, Rory."

Leroy got up from his chess table and headed to the piano. "And _that_ story can be told with a simple song. Rachel, Sam, Hiram? Would you like to sing the song?"

Hiram shook his head. "No thank you, let the kids sing it."

Rory looked at Sam and Rachel curiously. "I'm actually quite interested."

Rachel looked at Sam who smiled at her. "Do you want to sing it for Rory?"

He shrugged. "Hey, it's Christmas! Why not?"

They both stood up and gathered around the piano. Leroy started playing and started the song.

_You know Dasher and Dancer  
And Prancer and Vixen,  
Comet and Cupid  
And Donner and Blitzen.  
But do you recall  
The most famous reindeer of all?_

Rory shook his head. Rachel and Sam began singing the rest of the story.

_Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer  
Had a very shiny nose  
And if you ever saw it  
You would even say it glows_

All of the other reindeer  
Used to laugh and call him names  
_They never let poor Rudolph  
Join in any reindeer games_

Rory grinned and started clapping along.

_Then one foggy Christmas Eve  
Santa came to say  
Rudolph with your nose so bright  
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?_

Then all the reindeer loved him  
And they shouted out with glee  
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer  
You'll go down in history!

Rory clapped and cheered again. "That was such a nice story. I sure hope Brittany hasn't heard it though because she'd probably burst into tears."

Everyone in the room laughed. Rachel went back into the kitchen to get more cookies.

"Hey Sam, are you going to give Rachel her gift yet? Do it now before you forget." Rory noted.

Rachel brought back another plate and Rory helped himself to some more. "Boys, you _really_ didn't have to get me gifts."

Rory shrugged. "His present's better than mine. He _really_ let out his creative side in this one."

Sam glared at him. "Shut up, Rory."

Hiram folded his newspaper and set it down. "Actually since you brought it up, I'm kind of interested."

"Yeah, come on, Sam!" Leroy pushed.

While everyone was badgering him, Sam's face turned from milky white to beet red. "All right, all right! I'll go get it."

He headed to the foyer and brought back a stiff package wrapped in paper. "Here you go, Rachel. I hope you like it."

She opened the package and held it up. What she saw made her gasp in shock.

The was a portrait of her. But the portrait wasn't made with paint, ink, pencil or pastels...it was made with macaroni.

Sam had made a macaroni portrait of her.

It was sort of scary because it portrait looked _exactly_ like her. Somehow, the noodles seemed to get _every _feature of her perfectly.

She looked at him disbelievingly.

He shrugged. "I sort of have a thing for macaroni art. Do you like it?"

She felt her breath hitch up in her throat and she swallowed. "This is incredible, Sam. I love it. I have presents for you, too."

That got Rory excited. "You do?"

She nodded. "I got presents for everyone in the Glee Club but you two left before I could give them to you. I'll go get them."

While she went to fetch the presents, Leroy and Hiram examined the macaroni portrait.

"Wow, Sam. You sure do have a talent for macaroni art!" Leroy exclaimed.

Sam stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Yeah...it's kind of my guilty pleasure." ***wink wink**"

Hiram looked at the portrait. "You _really_ got the noodled to bring out her features. This is amazing, Sam!"

Finally, she emerged from her room carrying two wrapped gifts.

"Here you go, Rory. And here's your gift, Sam."

Rory ripped the wrapping paper and grinned. "Rachel, how thoughtful! A _real_ Irish Breakfast gift basket and a paddy cap!"

She smiled. "Yup, I ordered it online and knitted the cap myself."

He stood up and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Rachel. It reminds me of home. You're sweeter than freshly churned butter on a summer's day!"

She laughed and handed Sam a bug lumpy package. "Here you go, Sam. Merry Christmas."

Sam opened the package and gasped. "Oh my gosh, a Darth Vader helmet!"

Hiram laughed and leaned back in his armchair. "That was my idea, Sam. Rachel knows _nothing_ about Star Wars more than I do. Do you like it?"

In response, Sam put on the helmet and started breathing heavily. "The force is strong with this one."

Everyone threw their heads back and laughed. "Sam, your impressions _never_ get old."

He took off the helmet and admired it. "Thank you Rachel, Mr. Berry and Mr. Berry. This is great!"

She shrugged and scooted over to him. "My friends deserve the best. You're a great friend, Sam."

_You're a great friend, Sam...you're a great friend, Sam._

Those words instantly hit him as if she threw a brick at him. He was hoping to woo her with his Christmas present and was flattered by he one she got him...but no. She still wanted to play the _friend_ game.

He smiled weakly and gave her a hug. "You're a great friend too, Rachel."

The grandfather clock chimed 10 o'clock.

"We'd better get going." Sam declared.

"Isn't it a bit late?" Leroy asked.

Sam nodded. "A bit, yeah, but we'll just go around for maybe another hour and then head back to the shelter."

Rachel put her hand on his shoulder. "Sam, it's pretty late. You've collected enough for one night and everyone's starting to go to sleep anyway."

Rory stood up. "All right. We'll head back to the shelter and then head home.

Leroy stood up. "Would you two like to stay the night? We have plenty of guest rooms."

Rory shook his head. "I'd love to, but Brittany's family wants me to go out with them tomorrow. Thank you, though."

Sam nodded. "And I'm volunteering at the shelter again tomorrow so we'd best be going."

Hiram nodded. "All right, that's fair. Well, we'll sing you out like carolers."

They followed them to the foyer and waited while the boys pulled on their coats, gloves and scarves.

Rachel opened the door and they stepped out into the cold chill. "We'll sing until we can't see you anymore. It gets pretty lonely at this time of night."

Rory and Sam hugged her again. "Thanks for letting us in your house. We'll see you around. Merry Christmas!"

Rachel and her Dads waved and began to sing.

_God rest ye merry, gentlemen  
Let nothing you dismay  
Remember, Christ, our Saviour  
Was born on Christmas day  
To save us all from Satan's power  
When we were gone astray  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy_

As Sam and Rory kept walking, the voices of Rachel and her Dads started fading until it was silence. The only thing that could be heard was the cold chill howling.

Sam shivered and clutched the Darth Vader helmet to his chest. He looked at it and smiled.

Rory noticed and walked faster to keep up with him. "That was nice of her to get us these gifts."

Sam nodded wordlessly.

Rory pulled his scarf tighter. "Boy, she friend-zoned you like my Mom did to that wild turkey she found and cared for...right before Dad cooked him up for our Thanksgiving dinner."

Sam twisted his face in disgust. "Rory, I don't want to compare Rachel to a turkey about to become dinner."

Rory shrugged. "Sorry, mate. I just feel bad that you made her that art to woo her and she still acknowledges you as a friend. That ain't right."

Sam sighed. "It's all right. She's happy with her gift and I'm happy with my gift. Everyone wins at Christmas."

"Do you still like her?' Rory asked.

Sam nodded. "Yup, I do. I feel _really_ bad that I hurt her over the summer and I came back hoping to rekindle our relationship but she won't even talk to me if I bring it up. So I have to pretend to be fine with her agreement to just be friends. It sucks."

Rory whistled. "I hear you, mate. But don't worry, girls never stay mad for too long. Like Brittany. These past few months of living with her, I learned that all I have to do is change the subject and she'll get so distracted, she'll forget about why she's mad in the first place. Easy."

Sam shrugged. "Rachel's a tough cookie, though. Maybe I'll just have to try harder."

Rory put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't try _too_ hard, Sam or you'll only be setting yourself up for something nasty at the end."

Sam looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Rory. You really are a great pal."

They kept walking until they reached Sam's car. "All right, let's drop our cans off at the shelter and then head home."

They drove silently for a few minutes.

Rory looked at Sam. "Merry Christmas, Sam."

Sam smiled. "Merry first Christmas in America, Rory. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

**It's time for "Gabby's Corner!"**

**Now, I don't really understand how Irish people talk. I haven't even really been able to get a full grasp and fully understood the way Rory talked when he was around so that's why he's talking like a normal person. Just saying.**

**You guys like how I made a reference to the episode "Guilty Pleasures"? Of course you did.**

**Well, that's it Merry Christmas to all-wait, it's not Christmas. Oh well, good-night everyone!**


	7. The Worst She Can Say

**The next two chapters, I came up with myself. And believe me, I'm **_**glad **_**I added it. I know I should have saved this for a later chapter and just focus on school, but the whole big New Years party just sort of fit. If you don't like it, I'll delete the chapter and put it back in at a later time. Enjoy!**

It was almost New Years and everyone in the New Directions was buzzing.

Mike called everyone over break and announced that his Dad was hosting a big New Years soiree at a hotel and everyone's family was invited.

The only catch: everyone needed to have a date.

That was pretty easy for some people. He already had Tina, Puck was going with Lauren, Rory was taking Sugar, and Artie was taking Mercedes.

He was a bit reluctant to invite Brittany, Santana, Kurt and Blaine but his Dad assured him it would be okay. He also encouraged it to impress his boss with his "acceptance of diversity".

One night, he got a call from Sam.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"_Hey Mike, I don't think I'll be able to go to your party on Saturday night."_

Mike frowned. "Why not?"

Sam sighed. _"Because I don't have a date_."

"What about Quinn?"

"_Nah, that Joe kid with the dreadlocks is taking her. It's fine, I don't mind missing out."_

Mike scoffed. "Okay, you're being ridiculous. Rachel doesn't have a date, just ask her."

"_Maybe Finn's taking her_."

"Okay, now you're making excuses. Finn and his parents are going to visit family down south for New Years. They're leaving Kurt here so he can attend with Blaine."

"_I don't know, man. It might be awkward just going together in general._"

"Sam, you are **not** missing out on this party! Just ask her as a _friend_ for crying out loud! I thought you two were **friends** anyway, it's not like you're asking her to the prom." Mike exclaimed.

Sam paused before replying. _"Do you really think she'd say yes?"_

Mike rolled his eyes. "Come on Sam, you're totally good looking. Whether you're dating or not, she'd be an idiot not to say yes."

Sam sighed. _"Fine, I'll ask her. But I doubt she'll say yes_."

Mike chuckled. "If she says no, then I'll set you up with someone. You are **going** to this party, Sam."

Sam blew a raspberry. "_Fine, you win. I'll ask her."_

Mike smiled. "Great! Let me know how it goes."

_**SAM**_

After his conversation with Mike, Sam clutched his phone and started breathing heavily. He _wanted_ to ask Rachel, but how would she react? Would she say no just because it's _him_?

There was a knock on the door. "Sam, can I come in?"

"Sure, Mercedes." He replied.

She pushed the door open and came in carrying a plate of cookies. "Mom and I noticed you seemed a bit quiet up here so we baked you some cookies. Want some?"

He smiled and reached for a cookie. "Thanks, Mercedes. I do love cookies."

She noticed him clutching his phone tightly. "Are you expecting a call from someone?"

He looked at his phone and placed it on his nightstand. "No, actually I'm supposed to _make_ a call to someone."

Mercedes looked confused. "Who are you trying to call?"

He sighed. "I'm _supposed_ to call Rachel and ask her to be my date to Mike's party on Saturday."

She gasped and bounced excitedly on the bed. "Ask, her! Ask her! Geeze, it took you _that_ long to find a date when the only girl for you was there all along?"

Sam shook his head. "Mercedes, it's not that easy. I _still_ like Rachel, but she's still mad about what happened this summer that the only way we can still talk to each other is if we remain friends. I've done so much to woo her but she's not budging."

Mercedes blew some loose hair from her face. "So...you're not going to ask her?"

He shrugged. "I _want_ to, I do. It's just that...what if she says no because she'll think it's a date?"

She sighed frustratedly. "I swear, you two are the most stubborn people I've ever met. You want her back, then don't play her game. GET HER BACK. The more you play the friend-zone game, the more you're setting yourself up for heartbreak. Now **call** her and ask her **as your date** to Mike's party."

He looked at his phone and then back to her. "Do you really think I should?"

She reached over and grabbed his phone. "Sam, if you don't call her right now, I'm doing it for you."

He snatched the phone away from her. "All right, I'll ask her. Can you leave the room?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, I'm going to sit here and make sure you do it. But I won't say a word, I promise."

He sighed and dialed her number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey there, Rachel." He said sheepishly.

"_Hi, Sam! How are you?_"

He cleared his throat. "I'm great, how are you?"

"_I'm doing swell, just cleaning up my room."_

He laughed nervously. "Oh, that's great. Nice to know."

It got silent for a minute. Mercedes whacked him on the back and whispered "Quit with the chit-chat! Ask her now!"

"_Um...Sam...is there any reason why you're calling me so late?"_

He cleared his throat again. "Oh yes, there is actually. Um...what are you doing for New Years?"

She paused. _"I'm not sure. Why?"_

"Well...did Mike call you about the New Years party his Dad's throwing?"

"_He did. I want to go, but I don't have a date like he specified. Are you going?"_

Mercedes started bouncing on the bed again.

Sam smiled. "Well, I was planning to. But before I did, I'm actually calling to ask if you would like to be my date to the party?"

There was an awkward pause. Sam looked at Mercedes questioningly and paused.

"Um...Rachel? Are you still there?"

"_Are you asking me to go as friends_?"

Mercedes shook her head frantically.

Sam swallowed. "No, not as friends. Actually, I was thinking as an actual _date_."

There was another long silence. After a few minutes, both he and Mercedes were convinced that she hung up. He sighed sadly and was about to hit the end call button but Rachel's voice spoke up.

"_Sam, are you still there_?"

They both perked up and he held the phone out excitedly. "Yeah, I'm still here."

Rachel sighed. _"Oh good, I thought you actually hung up. To answer your question, **yes**, I will go with you. Not as friends, but as a **date**."_

He and Mercedes stared at the phone in shock. "You will?"

Rachel giggled. _"Yes, Sam, I'll be your date_."

He smiled. "Great! Oh, and tell your Dads that they're invited too."

"_Sweet, I'm sure they'll like that. Well, thanks for asking me, Sam._"

"No problem, so I'll see you on Saturday?"

"_You definitely will. Well, goodnight."_

"Good night, Rachel."

When he hung up, Mercedes squealed. "I told you! I _told_ you!'

He smiled sheepishly. "All right, you did."

She chuckled. "See? You're moving forward...have New Years Eve go well and I'll _bet_ you'll be back together by the time we go back to school."

He nodded. "I sure hope so."

She picked up the plate and headed to the door. "Well, good-night Sam. See you in the morning."

He smiled and got ready for bed. For New Years, he would make it the most _magical_ night of their lives. He would do _whatever_ it took to get her back. Just the thought of it gave him butterflies.

"Good-night, Sam!" Mercedes called from her room.

"Good-night, Mercedes!" He called back.

**And this is only the beginning. Ooh, I can't wait to start working on the next chapter!**


	8. Hold Onto a Time When Nothing Mattered

**Hey there, lady-bugs! All right, so I know it seems like forever since I updated but this chapter was starting to get on my nerves. On top of that, I just started my new job at Bath and Body Works so that takes away time to. Anyway, I really just want to get this chapter posted and done because I already have the next few chapters planned out. **

**Enjoy everyone!**

It was Saturday, the night of Mike's party.

The party started at eight but Sam decided to pick up Rachel an hour early. He _really_ wanted to talk to her about the state of their relationship. He'd tell her that he wanted to stop playing her friend game and make things go back to the way they used to be.

When he got to Rachel's house, her Dads answered.

"Sam, you're a little early!" Hiram exclaimed.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I was kind of hoping to talk with Rachel. Where is she?"

"She's upstairs still getting ready." Leroy said adjusting his bow-tie. "Hiram, are you ready to go?"

"You're leaving so soon?" Sam asked.

Hiram nodded. "Yup, Mike's parents are having an adult cocktail hour an hour before the party starts. But don't worry, we'll take Rachel home after the party to take her off your hands."

Leroy adjusted his jacket and smiled. "Ready to go, Hiram?"

He nodded. "Yup, it's not everyday we get invited to super fancy parties like this!" He called upstairs. "Rachel, we're leaving! Sam's here!"

She hurried downstairs wearing only a bathrobe. Her hair was curled and she already had her makeup done. Even without a dress on, Sam thought she looked lovely.

She giggled. "Sam, you're an hour early! Couldn't wait, could you?" She kissed both her Dads on the cheek. "Have fun at cocktail hour. See you there."

After they left, she sighed. "Well, you sure get ready fast. I haven't even finished my makeup yet."

He shrugged. "Well I came early because I was hoping-"

She put her finger on his lips to quiet him. "Hold that thought. Come upstairs with me so I can finish getting ready."

She took him by the hand and led him upstairs. The _thought_ of her leading him upstairs made him feel hot inside but he mentally told himself that what he was thinking _certainly_ wasn't going to happen.

When they got to her room, he was greeted by the strong smell of incense. He looked around the room and saw lots of girly stuff like a pink canopy, gold stars of all sizes hung on the walls and paper lanterns.

Suddenly, he remembered that the last time he was in her room was when they were dating and she had _lots_ of pictures of just the two of them displayed all over the walls.

He sighed knowing that when they broke up, she probably got rid of them. But did she throw them away? Did she hide them off somewhere?

She pointed to the bed. "All right, just have a seat on the bed while I finish applying my makeup. Then I'll get dressed and then we can go."

She sat at her vanity and started dusting her face with makeup brushes. "I can't believe it's the last day of 2011. Do you have any New Years Resolutions?"

Sure, he had a _lot_: Making more money to send to his family, getting good enough grades to make it to senior year, helping lead the Glee Club to Nationals, but more _importantly_ getting her back.

He cleared his throat. "Eh, just a few. Making good money to send back to my family, leading the Glee Club to Nationals...what about you?"

She turned to him. "Well, my NYADA audition is coming up in May so my New Years Resolution is to practice _long_ and _hard_ if I want to make it." She picked up her dress and pointed to the bathroom. "I'm going to get dressed now."

He nodded. "All right, I'll be here."

When she closed the bathroom door, he tried not to picture here taking off her robe. He _tried_ not to imagine her standing in the bathroom practically naked examining herself.

He heard some zipping sounds and some muttering coming from the background. "Sam, can you come in here? I need help."

He shook his head and pushed open the door. What he saw made him stop in his tracks and want to avert his eyes.

Rachel was standing in the bathroom clutching her dress to her chest, her zipper undone. "I can't reach the zipper. Can you help?"

He continued to stare at her and she noticed his face turn red. She sighed impatiently. "Sam, I'm serious. I _can't reach_ the zipper."

He gulped and stepped forward. "All right...here we go." With one hand, he pinched the back of the dress and the other hand _slowly_ worked the zipper up. He felt his breath come up in short breaths. Just _once_, he wanted to press his lips in her warm shoulder, but he cleared his throat and finished the zipper.

She stared in the mirror, sorely focused on making sure her dress was zippered. She swallowed as Sam's face started turning pink and he licked his dry lips. She wanted just _once_ to feel his cool hand on her shoulder...but she pushed that thought out of her head quickly.

Once the zipper was zipped, they just stared at each other emotionless in the mirror. He started rubbing her bare shoulders soothingly and she relaxed a little.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned to him. She knew that the way they both were feeling, it would get out of control if they didn't stop. She smiled and pinched his cheek. "Thanks. Let me just get my shoes on and then we can head out."

She turned away leaving him aching. He sighed, thinking he could talk with her later.

_**At the Party**_

The ballroom of the hotel was literally crowded with _everyone_. It turns out that Mike's Dad also invited lots of business associates, bosses and clients along with their families.

It took Sam and Rachel a while to find any of the Glee members. The first people they found were Mike and Tina by the buffet tables.

Mike grinned ear to ear when he saw them. "Rachel, Sam! So glad that you could come!"

Rachel smiled politely and hugged them both. "We wouldn't miss it for the world, Mike."

Mike looked at them both. "So is she here as your _friend_ or as your _date_?"

Tina punched his shoulder. "Mike, quit interrogating them!"

Mike rubbed his shoulder. "Ouch! All right, all right. Enjoy the party you two."

The music started and many people started heading to the dance floor.

"Oh, I love this song! Come on Sam, let's dance!"

She grabbed him by the hand and led him to the middle of the dance floor.

He smiled when he heard the song and started singing along.

_I can't wait 'til I get you on the floor, good-looking  
Going hot, so hot, just like an oven  
And I'll burn myself, but just had to touch it  
But it's so fine and it's all mine  
Hey baby, we don't mind all the watching, ha  
Cause if they study close, real close  
They might learn something  
She ain't nothing but a little doozie when she does it  
She's so fine tonight_

_And as long as I got my suit and tie  
I'ma leave it all on the floor tonight  
And you got fixed up to the nines  
Let me show you a few things  
All pressed up in black and white  
And you're dressed in that dress I like  
__Love is swinging in the air tonight  
Let me show you a few things  
Let me show you a few things  
Show you a few things about love  
Now we're in the swing of love  
Let me show you a few things  
Show you a few things about love  
__Hey_

In the corner of the room, Mike and Tina were eying them.

"Five bucks they get back together by the end of the night." Mike said.

Tina smiled and high-fived him. "You're on, Chang."

During the next two hours, they kept a close eye on Sam and Rachel. Both of them bounced back and forth between eating and mingling but for some reason, they didn't touch the dance floor. There were even times when they separated to go mingle with other people and met up with each other again.

Mike started getting impatient. He walked up to Sam and spun him around. "Dude, what's going on? Why aren't you and Rachel getting all friendly?"

Sam looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Mike sighed frustrated. "I thought you were going to use tonight's opportunity to win her back!"

Sam shrugged. "Well we're _talking_..."

Mike shook his head. "Yeah, you're talking but you haven't touched the dance floor since the first song. Where is she anyway?"

Sam looked around. "She went looking for her Dads but I think I saw her in the corner with Mercedes and Quinn."

Mike crossed his arms impatiently. "Well why aren't you with her?"

Sam frowned. "Dude, I'm not her _shadow_. How the heck can we establish a good relationship if I follow her around everywhere and don't give her space?"

Mike put his hand on his shoulder. "Sam...you _do_ want her back, right?"

Sam nodded. "Of _course_ I do."

"Then do something about it!" Mike exclaimed. "It's almost the new year...don't you want to start with having your girl back?"

Sam shrugged. "Well...yeah, but what am I supposed to do?"

Mike thought for a minute. "You have two hours left. I'll ask the band to start playing slow songs so you can go dance with her. When everyone goes outside to get ready for the countdown, you can take her for a romantic stroll through the garden. I guarantee you two will be back together like nothing ever happened."

Sam smiled. "You really think so?"

Mike gave him two thumbs up. "I surely know so. Now go get her, Evans!"

Sam smiled and strolled around the room looking for Rachel. Just as he suspected, she was in the corner with Mercedes and Quinn.

She smiled when she saw him. "Hey there, Sam!"

He smiled and nodded. "Hey there, girls. Mercedes, Quinn...you look absolutely stunning tonight."

They both giggled and sipped their glasses of champagne. "Sam you are so adorable!" Quinn gushed.

"All right everyone." The band announced. "We're going to play a slow song so grab that special someone and hold them _real_ close."

Mercedes set her glass down on the table. "Finally a slow song! I'm going to find Artie."

Quinn shrugged. "I'd better go find Joe."

Soon it was just Sam with Rachel leaning against the wall. Everyone started pairing up and headed to the dance floor.

Sam shuffled his foot awkwardly. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled shyly and offered her his hand. "Of course...we should slow-dance with our dates at least _once_."

He led her to the dance floor and turned to face her. With a small assuring smile, he gently gripped her waist and pulled her to him.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

_It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.  
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.  
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"  
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."_

"Ooh, I love this song!" She exclaimed.

"I've never heard of it. Who sings it?" He asked.

Rachel scoffed. "Only the great Eric Clapton of course! I don't know...just the whole sound of the song is very soothing."

Sam listened to the music carefully. "He's right though: you _do_ look great tonight."

She smiled up at him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

_I feel wonderful because I see  
The love light in your eyes.  
And the wonder of it all  
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you._

As the song went on, Rachel honestly felt like she was dancing on a cloud with Sam. It reminded her of all those Disney Princess movies she used to watch when she was little, when the Princess would dance with her Prince.

As they swayed, she pondered how things could have gotten this far. If Sam hadn't come back, she'd be living a boring life...focusing on college and what not. There would be no need for boys, save it for New York.

On the other hand now that Sam's back...she feels so _conflicted_. Sure, deep down inside she still liked him. But the important thing was that he _hurt_ her over the summer. They say that tree time's the charm which made it worse. She was _sick _of being hurt! Jesse only used her and smashed an egg, Finn cheated on her with Santana and _now_ Sam called her with a rushed breakup speech.

Since he came back, all he was focused on was trying to win her back which flattered her, but everytime she felt herself falling in love again, that dreaded call echoed in her mind and she turned away.

Was to be done in the New Year?

_It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,  
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.  
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,  
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.  
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."_

The song ended and they broke apart.

She offered a small smile. "Thanks for the dance."

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yeah...thanks."

They danced with everyone else for a few more songs until Mike's Dad announced that it was time to head outside.

"All right everyone, we have one hour until midnight. Please exit the ballroom in an orderly fashion outside to the park next to the hotel so we can begin the countdown!"

Mike walked past Sam and Rachel holding a giddy Tina's hand. He bumped Sam's shoulder and whispered "The garden. Don't forget the garden."

Sam cleared his throat and looked at Rachel. "Hey Rachel...there's a nice garden in the park. Would like to take a stroll through it while we pass time?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Are you asking me that only to lead me to my death? Because I _brought_ my rape whistle with me-"

He chuckled. "No, I'm not going to _rape_ you. I just knew that you liked gardens and figured we could do something to kill time and get away from all the crowded people."

She thought for a second and then nodded. "All right, let's go."

All the Glee members were hanging out in the park when they saw Sam and Rachel walking hand in hand to the garden.

Santana smirked. "Get ready to pay up, Puckerman."

Puck poured himself another glass of champagne. "I don't think so. After what he put her through this summer, she's _never_ going to take him back."

Kurt stared at them concerned. "Should we follow them? It's pretty dark outside...what if he has _other_ plans?"

Mike laughed. "Relax, Kurt. The hedges and trees in the garden have string up lights so it's not dark. And he won't try anything, he's just making this night as magical as possible with hope that she'll take him back."

Mercedes raised her glass of wine. "I bet all of you twenty dollars they'll kiss at midnight."

Quinn clinked her glass against hers. "I'll drink to that."

_**Meanwhile in the Garden**_

"This garden is so beautiful." Rachel breathed.

Sam walked silently along her, letting her chatter away as he savored hearing that _beautiful_ voice.

She turned to him. "I can tell this is going to be a great year. We have Regionals and Nationals coming up, my NYADA audition..."

He nodded quietly and kept walking.

"Sam...you seem pretty quiet. Is everything all right? Do you want me to stop talking?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, you can keep talking. I _love_ the way you talk."

They kept walking for a while but stopped when he heard her gasp.

"Oh my gosh, that is the most _beautiful_ thing I've ever seen!"

He looked at where she was point and just saw...a tree. But he could understand why she was so enchanted by it. The tree was completely wrapped with twinkling lights...each branch had strings weaving in and out to perfection.

She grabbed his hand and ran to it. "This garden is _amazing!_"

He twirled her around. "And so are you."

She took both his hands and swung them playfully. "So do you have any other tasks on your bucket list this year?"

He thought for a second. "Well...I'm definitely hoping to find love."

She giggled. "Well that's good. And you won't have to wait too long since Valentine's Day is just around the corner so you'll have a chance to woo someone."

He brushed some loose hair out of her face and stepped closer. "Oh I think I know _exactly_ who and how to woo her."

She looked down and dropped his hands. "Sam...I know how you're feeling right now. It's plain for everyone to see."

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I miss you, Rach. I was stupid to let you go so easily this summer, and I _want_ things to be ok with us."

She turned away from him. "It's not that simple."

He stepped around her so that he was facing her again. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I _know_ that you still have feelings for me too no matter how many times you try to tell yourself that you don't. Please, Rachel...forgive me? I don't think I could live with myself if you didn't."

She ran her arms up and down his arms. Her heart ached and longed to say yes...but somehow the words wouldn't come out.

She leaned his forehead against his and tried to go back to a memory when they were happy together. She tried to force them to play one by one in her mind like a movie.

_**TEN!**_

She felt him wrap his arms around her waist.

_**NINE!**_

Somehow his touch sent shock-waves of pleasure throughout her body.

_**EIGHT!**_

The memories stopped playing and settled on his smiling face. Smiling at _her_.

_**SEVEN!**_

She opened her eyes and saw that their foreheads were still leaning against each other and his eyes were still closed.

_**SIX!**_

"Sam." She whispered.

_**FIVE!**_

He opened his eyes and sucked in his breath. "Rachel?

_**FOUR!**_

They smiled and held each other tighter.

_**THREE!**_

"Never let me go." She whispered.

"Never." He simply replied.

_**TWO!**_

"It's almost the New Year." He stated.

_**ONE!**_

He slowly started leaning in and she felt herself leaning in too.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_

He was leaning so close, his big lips were starting to cloud her vision.

Suddenly, she heard his voice echoing in her head.

"_I'm so sorry, Rachel. This isn't going to work out...long distant relationships **never** really work out. Have a great Senior Year...you deserve it."_

She pulled back quickly and gasped.

Sam stared at her confused. "What's wrong?"

She suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart was aching again the same way it ached after he said those dreadful words. No...she couldn't trust him again so easily. Three time's the charm like they always say.

"I'm so sorry Sam. I-I...I just can't."

He grabbed her hands frantically. "Did I do something wrong? Come on, talk to me Rachel!"

She pulled her hands back. "No...it's me. I-I just can't, Sam. I'm sorry!"

She ran out of the garden, tears streaming down her face while Sam stood by the tree hurt and disappointed.

He slowly walked out of the garden sadly. That was it...there was no use trying anymore. He had officially lost her and there was no more chances.

All the Glee members ran up to him in panic.

"What's going on? What happened?" Mercedes asked.

"Why did Rachel run out crying? Did you accidentally knock heads?" Puck asked.

Mike pushed past them. "More _importantly_, did you kiss her?"

Sam shook his head sadly. "Nope...we almost did but something changed her mind and she ran off. She's officially over me and I just need to accept that."

Quinn put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Sam...there's still the new year. There's still _time_."

He sighed. "I don't think so. I can't think of anymore ideas that she won't shoot down. Thanks for your help guys, but I'm going home. Thank for inviting me to the party, Mike."

Mike nodded and hugged him. "Sorry, bro. But don't give up hope."

Mercedes hugged him next. "We'll meet you back at the house. I'll bake you cookies again and then we can talk if you want."

Sam nodded and strode off to his car sadly.

**Ouch...not a happy ending. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing. So you can all bask in the relief that I updated and pull out your tissues so you can cry along with Sam. Enjoy!**


	9. You Can't Burn the Past

**Hello, my ladybugs! **

**This chapter was originally supposed to be at the end of the last one, but chapter 8 was already long enough so I decided to separate them.**

**Enjoy!**

Rachel ran out of the garden tearfully and pushed past everyone celebrating until she saw her Dads chatting with Tina's parents. She turned around and tried to wipe as many tears off her face as possible before approaching them.

"Hey there, baby girl!" Leroy called out handing her a glass of champagne. "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, sweetheart." Hiram said, kissing her cheek. He noticed her tear-stained face. "Are you all right?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just crying because...it's the new year and I can't _wait_ to see what it brings for us."

Leroy threw his head back and laughed. "I'll drink to that! This has been one great party!"

She took a sip of champagne and sniffed. "Um...are we going home soon? I'm kind of tired."

Hiram looked at his watch. "Yeah, we should get going before your Dad drinks too much. Where's Sam?"

She shrugged. "Oh, he said he was tired and went home. He offered to drive me hope but I told him that I wanted to spend the first of the New Year with my Dads."

He smiled and hugged her. "All right, let me just wrestle the keys from your Dad and then we can go." He turned to Leroy, but Leroy was already walking to Mike's parents.

"Hey Michael, pop open another bottle of champagne, will you!"

"Leroy, that's enough champagne for tonight. Come on, we're going home."

Both he and Rachel seized Leroy by the arms and dragged him to the car. Of course, Hiram had to wrestle him for the keys but he finally succeeded.

"Do you mind sitting in the passenger seat, honey? Daddy's about to pass out." Leroy asked her.

She smiled and graciously got into the passenger seat. "I'm so excited for this year."

Hiram patted her hand. "I know! You have your NYADA audition, Regionals, Nationals and Graduation! You must be really excited."

She nodded. "Oh, I am."

"We're so proud of you, baby girl." Leroy mumbled from the back seat.

When they got home, they had to wake Leroy up and drag him inside.

"You go on up to bed, honey. I got Daddy." Hiram said.

She smiled and hugged him. "All right, but can you help me with my zipper first?"

She turned around and he unzipped the zipper fast as Grease Lightning. "There you go. Sweet dreams, pumpkin.

She kissed him on the cheek before heading up to his room. "Happy New Year, Daddy."

When she got upstairs, she changed into her nightgown and washed off her makeup. After that, she sat on her bed and waited patiently for her Dads to go to bed.

While she waited, she felt a mix of emotions: anger, guilt, hurt and just a teeny bit of pleasure.

She knew she shouldn't have run away from Sam. He probably thought she was a terrible person by now. She never meant to hurt him...she just couldn't bring herself to kiss him. She _almost_ did, thought. Pleasure took over and if she didn't control it, then _everything_ she had hoped to accomplish for the rest of her Senior year would be ruined. She'd fall in love again only to have her heart broken _twice_ by him for whatever reason. No, she wouldn't go down that path again!

She felt herself about to tear up again so she buried her face in her pillow and weeped.

_**Mercedes' House**_

Mercedes was sitting on Sam's bed, his head on her knee crying and choking down his fifth cookie.

"I wouldn't cry and eat if I were you." She stated. "You might actually choke."

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. Maybe she has a good reason for running off."

He stared at her tearfully. "What am I supposed to do now?"

She shrugged. "It's the new year, anything can happen. But don't go chasing after her when we get back to school. Give her some space."

He sniffed. "But what am _I_ supposed to do?"

She thought for a second. "Focus on your school work. When the time comes, she'll bounce back to settle things. All will be done in due time."

He smiled and took another cookie. "Thanks, Mercedes. And thanks for the cookies."

She chuckled. "No problem. And I needed to make you feel better before my parents saw you. If they saw you depressed, they'll send you to the shrink I went to when my imaginary friend Boogie-Woogie drowned in the lake when I was nine."

He chuckled weakly. "Well that sure makes me feel a little better."

She nodded. "That's good. Well I'm off to bed. Good night, Sam!"

He waved her out. "See you in the morning, Mercedes."

After she left, he buried his face in his pillow and cried some more."

_**At Rachel's House**_

She continued to wait and wait until she heard the click of her Dads' light switch. Good, now she wouldn't have to worry about any interruptions.

She got off the bed, headed to her closet and took down the shoebox full of pictures. She set them down on the floor and looked at them one by one. Each picture brought tears streaming down her face as she remembered all the happy memories: parties, picnics, the beach, her Prom picture with him and Mercedes.

She put all the pictures back in the box and got a box of matches from her vanity.

This was it...time to burn the past. When she got back to school, she would keep her distance from him like she planned, graduate, head to New York and forget all about the beautiful Sam Evans. There was no turning back. She had to erase the past.

She lit the match and held it over the box. "Good-bye, Sam. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Suddenly, she heard Sam's voice ringing in her head and she saw his face in her mirror. He looked so sad, heartbroken and haunting.

_Don't do it, Rachel. Not only will you break my heart, but you'll break yours too._

She looked back at the pictures and was shocked to see them all moving like in the Harry Potter movies. All the pictures showed him swinging her around, cuddling by a fire, plucking the petals off a flower...

_I love him...I love him not. I can't go through with this!_

She yelped when she saw the fire come in contact with her finger. Frantically, she blew the match out and ran to the bathroom to run cool water on her finger. The stinging of her burned finger and the aching of her heart mixed together and she felt like a balloon about to burst. She felt her head spinning and all she could see was an image of herself cheerfully plucking the petals off a daisy.

_I love Sam, I love Sam not. I love Sam, I love Sam not._

Finally, her inner voice surged up like a rocket and she had no choice but to scream it out.

_**I LOVE SAM EVANS!**_

Right after she screamed it, she gripped her sink with both hands breathing heavily. She never felt so free...the aching in her heart went away and she finally felt free.

_But what about Sam?_ An unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind. _You ran off on him...what if he doesn't love you anymore._

She looked at herself in the mirror. "It's the New Year. I _have_ to figure it all out with him. There's plenty of time to settle things."

All this overwhelming wore her out completely. She decided to sleep it off and hope for the better.

She crawled back into bed and curled up with her pillow pretending it was Sam. They never lain down together before, but imagining herself curl around his soft warm body seemed to comfort her.

Both Sam and Rachel in their respected rooms decided to turn on the radio to help lull themselves to sleep. The song that was on was the _perfect_ choice for them.

_Aren't you somethin' to admire?  
Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror  
And I can't help but notice  
You reflect in this heart of mine  
If you ever feel alone and  
The glare makes me hard to find  
Just know that I'm always  
Parallel on the other side_

Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass  
I'll be tryin' to pull you through  
You just gotta be strong

As they both fell asleep, they imagined their significant other smiling at them from the corner of their rooms. They both seemed to say: _I'll never leave you._

_'Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Comin' back into you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making  
Two reflections into one  
Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me

**And done! Now it's time for Gabby's Comments!**

**Yeah, yeah, yeah I know the songs _Suit and Tie_ and _Mirrors_ just came out recently on the radio and not in 2011 but they just seem to fit...so in case you are confused.**

**Phew, I'm glad to be done with those two stressful chapters. Have faith in me, readers, because I absolutely know for a _fact_ where I'm going with the rest of the story. If anyone is confused with the storyline and what's been going on so far, message me and I'll be more than happy to explain.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! Oh and don't forget to watch the Glee season 4 finale on Thursday at 9 pm for all you East Coasters like moi. Ciao for now!**


	10. I Don't Know How to Love Him

**Hey there! Did everyone enjoy tonight's Glee episode? Good, because I sure did. Did we all have a nice cry? Yes? Great, that shows that the episode was FANTASTIC. Was it inspiring? HELL YES.**

**Now please enjoy the chapter!**

Coming back to school was quite awkward for both Sam and Rachel.

They passed by each other in the halls without looking at each other. The other Glee members found it odd because on Mondays, they all eat together but Sam and Rachel wound up sitting by themselves at different tables.

After Glee that day, the girls decided to hold an intervention with Rachel. They dragged her forcefully into the girls bathroom.

"Ouch, let me go Mercedes!"

The girls pushed her in and made sure the coast was clear.

"All right, spill it. WHAT is going on with you and Sam?" Quinn demanded.

Rachel brushed her hair with her fingers. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Mercedes crossed her arms. "Rachel, Sam was crying to me in his room after Mike's party. Why on _Earth_ did you run out on him when he tried to kiss you?"

She shrugged. "I-I...how do you know?"

Mercedes glared at her.

Tina folded her hands together. "Rachel...we don't understand. Sam was literally over the _moon_ for you since he came back. Why won't you accept him?"

Rachel turned away. "Because he's just a boy and I have my Senior Year to worry about-"

Quinn put her hand on her shoulder and spun her around. "But you've _always_ been talking about finding true love in high school. Seriously, what's wrong?"

Rachel scoffed and turned away again. "Nothing's wrong, just drop it. True love's over. I'm just going to graduate and find it in college."

Mercedes frowned. "And how do _you_ know? Rachel, Sam loves the heck out of you, why are you acting like this?"

Rachel gripped the sink irritably. "Mercedes...that's enough. Let bygones be bygones."

That set off all three of the girls like bombs. They all protested at the same time and their combined voices started to make her head swim.

"You're hiding something from us."

"Tell us the truth!"

"He loves you, Rachel!"

"You _know_ you still love him."

"Stop denying it at face the facts!"

Finally, she felt as thought her head was going to explode like a hot volcano. She turned to them and screamed with all her might to get all the anger out.

"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM!"

_**In the Hallway**_

Sam walked out of the locker room after football practice and headed to his truck. He passed the girls bathroom when he heard someone scream at the top of their lungs.

"Because I don't know how to love him!"

_**Back in the Bathroom**_

After she screamed, Rachel started trembling and tears were cascading down her cheeks.

All three girls stared at her in shock. "Rachel, what do you mean?"

She started hyperventilating. "Look, you all know that my relationships haven't worked out. I've been dumped _three_ times: one wish a smashed egg, one with a cheating scandal and one with a dumb phone call. And now number three decides to come crawling back to me thinking I can just forgive and forget that easy? I _hated_ Sam after he dumped me! _HATED_ him! And the more he tries to woo me, the more I try to convince myself not to fall in love again because he'll just break my heart and I'll be left nothing but a big train wreck before graduation. I can't set myself up for heartbreak anymore."

She fell to her knees and sobbed, holding her face in her hands. "Oh Rach, baby girl, there's absolutely _nothing_ to worry about."

Quinn knelt down and rubbed her back. "Sam's not one to break hearts twice. You have to trust him."

Rachel looked up and glared at them. "And how am I supposed to know if he doesn't have another girl in Kentucky behind the curtain?"

Mercedes sighed. "Rachel, Sam's been living with me forever. There _is_ no other girl in Kentucky, there's only _you_."

Tina knelt down. "Rachel...listen to us: Sam _loves_ you. He's sorry for hurting you over the summer and he wishes he could take it back. _Please_ give him a chance."

She wiped her tears. "I just don't know what to do. What if he's given up on me?"

Quinn shook her head. "Come on, Rachel. Sam _never_ gives up. He's been trying to win back your heart since he got back, what makes you think he'll stop now?"

Rachel sighed. "Well if he wants me back so badly, he'll have to convince me someway, somehow that he won't hurt me again. Jesse and Finn never did that...they just...walked away and never turned back. I don't _want_ a guy that gives up on me so easily, it hurts. After he dumped me, I just felt like Cupid had something against me and aimed to make love _hurt_. I felt like if three guys left me so easily, then _no one_ would love me and I would just keep getting my heart broken."

All three girls hugged her tightly.

Mercedes stroked her hair. "Rachel, baby girl, Cupid is _never_ against you. He just wants to throw obstacles at you so you can be ready for when the right one comes around. Sam may not be perfect but at least he's willing to always make you smile just so you and him can be happy together. You need to _trust_ and believe in him. And if he hurts you again, then we'll kick his ass."

Rachel laughed weakly. "Thanks so much, guys. You're the sisters I never had."

Tina patted her shoulder. "Of course, Rach. Everyones' happiness matters...and you mean a lot to us."

_**Hallway**_

Sam leaned against the wall and smiled. That was the missing piece: he had to reassure her that he was back for good and would _never_ do anything to hurt her again.

As he walked away, he stared at his guitar case that he was carrying and thought of a plan. February was coming up _very_ soon. Until then, he'd give her space to pull herself together...but when Valentine's Day rolled around, everything would work out.

_**Bathroom**_

The girls hugged again and stood up.

"Come on, girls." Quinn announced. "This calls for an ice cream run."

"Are you treating us?" Tina asked.

Quinn scoffed. "Are you _serious_? I'm paying for Rachel's, buy your own!"

They threw their heads back and laughed as they left the school, Rachel feeling like she's stepped into the sunlight for the first time.

**And there we go. Honestly, I LOVED Glee tonight. Especially when they sand Hall of Fame...so inspiring! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and PLEASE review! Thank you and good-night.**


	11. Everyone Deserves a Second Chance

January seemed to fly by pretty fast for Sam and Rachel. They continued to give each other space, finding new things to try to keep their minds off each other.

Sam joined a new club called the God Squad started by Mercedes. The club pretty much spread the word that being a Christian was not just about reading the Bible. It was a small club only consisting of him, Mercedes, Quinn and Joseph. One of their first orders of business was to figure out to raise money. Sam came up with the idea of singing Valentine-Grams because he knew everyone would definitely want one. It was agreed with a unanimous decision.

One day after Glee, he saw Mr. Schuester whisper something in Rachel's ear that made her nod and giggle. That instantly made Sam jealous.

Wait...why should he be jealous? Mr. Schuester would _never_ flirt with a student!

It got even _weirder_ when Rachel left the choir room with Brad the pianist after they were all dismissed.

All right, he thought. Something was _definitely_ up. Brad never spoke a _word_ to any of them and now he was leading Rachel to who knows where?

He decided to follow them just in case. Sneakily, he ducked behind them in between hallways like a ninja and followed them into the auditorium. He saw them walk up on stage to a peculiar looking purple piano. He ducked in between the seats and hid behind the curtain in the wings off stage.

Rachel sat down at the piano and Brad started taking his sheets out.

Wait a second...Rachel's taking private _piano lessons_ from Brad?

She smiled up at him. "How was your day today, Brad?"

He sighed and chuckled. "Horrible, you Glee kids sure do stress me out."

She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him. "Oh you kidder. Admit it, you _love_ playing for us."

He put his hands up in mock surrender. "All right, all right...you kids are a _joy_ to play for. But at least I get paid _and_ your Dads are paying me good money to give you private lessons."

She opened the lid of the piano and played a few keys.

"Have you been practicing _River Flows in You_?" Brad asked.

She nodded and sighed. "Yes, I've been practicing but I don't have it all the way. The left hand keys are super easy but the right hand keys are what I'm having trouble in."

Brad shrugged. "All right, no problem. We can work on that." He started digging through his piano sheets and looked confused when he couldn't find it. "Oh now I remember! I think I accidentally got the sheets mixed up with Mr. Schuester's. Let me run to the choir room real quick to look for them. In the meantime..." He picked up one of his songbooks, picked a song and set it in front of her. "play this song as a warm up until I get back."

She smiled and called after him. "Don't be too long! Pretty girls like me shouldn't be in a lonely auditorium for too long!"

Sam heard Brad chuckle as he exited out the other wing. "Don't worry, you'll probably deafen that person with a high pitch wail or something. I'll be back."

He watched her study the notes for a second and began playing. There was something strangely..._familiar_ bout the song.

_Pride can stand  
A thousand Trials  
The strong will never fall  
But watching stars without You  
My soul cried  
Heaving hard is full of pain  
Oh, oh, the aching_

Ah, _now_ he remembered why that song was familiar. It was in that Romeo and Juliet movie with Leonardo DiCaprio she made him watch. The song was in the scene where they met each other through a fish tank...weird way to meet your soul mate.

_'Cause I'm kissing you, oh  
I'm kissing you_

He thought back to when they had their first kiss. They were at the park: he taught her how to play Frisbee and she taught him how to fly a kite. By night time, they sat on a hill and rested while fireflies danced around them. They leaned their heads on each others shoulder and then it just...happened. When the kissed, it was like he was soaring through time and space...which is what he _always_ wanted. Actually, it was like a mix of frollicing through candy land and floating through time and space. He _never_ felt like that kissing Quinn or Santana.

As she finished the rest of the song, it made him want to kiss her again. But he knew he couldn't...he had to give her some space first.

When she finished the song, he accidentally sighed loudly. It startled her and she jumped up leaning against the piano, her eyes wide. "Who's there? Don't come near me, I have a rape whistle!"

Sam clapped his hands to his mouth and tried to quietly back farther into the wing, but for some reason the sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the auditorium.

Rachel gripped the piano tightly and pulled out her whistle in the other one. "Brad! Brad, is that you? Where are you? I'm frightened!"

Brad was still nowhere to be seen.

Sam didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was so he stepped out on stage and put his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right. Don't be scared Rachel, it's only me."

She lowered the whistle and leaned more back against the piano. "Sam, you scared me! Where you watching the whole time?"

He nodded and rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah...sorry about that. I saw you coming here with Brad and it looked kind of suspicious. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you."

She rolled her eyes. "You _really_ think Brad would hurt me? He's giving me private piano lessons."

"Piano lessons? Why?" He asked.

She sighed dramatically. "The voice is a wonderful instrument but I would like to learn the instrument that _triggers_ the voice. I do like a challenge."

He laughed. "If you say so. And really Rachel, I never meant to scare you."

She clutched her heart. "Dear me, I nearly had a heart attack!"

The auditorium door opened and Brad frantically came running on stage. "Rachel, I heard you scream for me! Are you ok?" He noticed her still holding the whistle and raised his eyebrows. "I see you've taken care of it already."

Sam chuckled. "It was me, Brad. I got worried when I saw you led her here so I waited in the wings. I kind of scared her though, but we're fine."

Brad looked confused. "You think I'd hurt her?"

Sam shrugged. "I know, I know...sorry about that."

Brad laughed and shook his head. "It's fine, Sam. I know, I don't talk to any of you during the day and seeing me lead poor Rachel away definitely looks suspicious. But don't worry, her Dads are paying me to give her private piano lessons."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks for looking out for me, Sam. I really appreciate it."

Sam rubbed his neck again. "So...I guess that's my cue to exit off stage right?"

Rachel shook her head. "Oh no, you can stay! You can watch, I don't mind."

Brad shrugged. "I don't mind if you stay. But just don't distract her or this lesson won't end very well."

Sam smiled and nodded. "All right, I'll stay. I'll go...sit in the audience."

She squealed and clapped her hands. "Great! I could do with an audience!"

As Sam exited off stage, Brad took the piano sheets he found and placed them in front of her.

"Did you practice the warm up song?"

She nodded. "Yup, it was pretty easy."

He nodded. "Ok, good. Now you said you had trouble with the _right_ hand notes of this song?"

She scratched her head. "Definitely yes. The left hand is super easy but the right hand notes are so _fast_, I just can't keep up."

Brad patted her shoulder. "It's all right, it took me a while to learn those notes too. But when you learn both hands, the song is _really_ beautiful. Here, why don't you play the right hand notes that you already know and I'll play the left hand. You can take your time on them."

Brad slowly led her through the song. She finally finished after five minutes.

Brad nodded approvingly. "All right, now let's try again and pick up the tempo just a tiny bit."

She did it again and then Brad made her try it out slowly with two hands. Then she repeated it again and again until Brad felt that she was ready to perform it in front of Sam.

"Are you ready?"

She looked over at Sam. "Are you ready, Sam? Please don't laugh if I mess up."

Sam crossed his heart. "I won't. No matter how bad it is, I won't laugh."

She began playing, and Sam literally felt like he was sitting in a peaceful place. The song just seemed so calming and peaceful...just like her. It also had a bit of a sad, melancholy tune mixed in making the song absolutely _perfect_.

As he watched her play, he noted her facial expression change as the song progressed. Her face looked so focused and concentrated...yet calm. Her fingers seemed to dance on the keys like ballerinas twirling each other around.

The song somehow seemed to make all the happy times they had together flash before his eyes: Prom, their first kiss, dancing in the moonlight, cuddling by the fire, the hurtful cry they shared the night before he moved, the comforting voicemails...

Those were long gone now, only to be brought back by this song made from her magic fingers.

The song was made perfectly clear: they couldn't live without each other. They _needed_ each other and the time apart was killing them. The whole thought process made him want to cry.

When she finished the song, both she and Brad looked at him. "What did you think, Sam?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I thought it was...great."

Rachel's face fell. "You didn't like it, did you?"

Sam shook his head frantically. "No no, it really was great! I was...astounding, it was...beautiful."

She gave him a small smile. "Great, I'm glad to hear it."

Brad put his hand on her shoulder. "That _was_ absolutely magical. You did a great job today."

They both got up from the piano and stretched. "That was a great lesson, Rachel. I'll teach you another song next time."

She jumped and squealed. "I can't wait."

While he packed up his sheets, she met Sam at the bottom of the stage. "Oh, I forgot you were still here.

Sam looked confused. "Where would I go?"

Brad finished packing and exited the auditorium. "See you tomorrow, Rachel."

When they heard the door closed, she blushed. "Did you _really_ like my performance?"

He nodded. "It was amazing, Rachel. I nearly cried because it was so...powerful."

She giggled. "Oh, I _know_! I cried too when I first heard Brad play it. It's so...bittersweet, don't you think?

They stood awkwardly silent for a few minutes.

"So who's taking you home today?" He asked.

Before she could answer, the auditorium door opened again and Mr. Schuester's voice floated in the room. "Rachel? I just passed Brad in the hallway, are you ready to go?"

He appeared from stage right and met them at the bottom of the stage. "Oh there you are! I saw Brad and got worried thinking that something happened to you." He noticed Sam there and smiled. "Oh hi, Sam. Are you taking lessons from Brad too?"

Sam suddenly felt his face turn red and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. He _surely_ couldn't admit that he was secretly watching her because he thought Brad was going to harm her. "Oh...um...uh..."

Luckily Rachel jumped in. "He wanted to stay and watch my lesson."

Mr. Schuester looked back and forth between the two of them and clicked his tongue. "Ah, I see. Well...if you're ready to go..."

"Wait, you're driving her home?" Sam asked.

Mr. Schuester nodded. "Yup, I live in the neighborhood right next to hers so her Dads asked if I could drive her when they can't. I think it's a smart idea...saves plenty of gas and all."

Rachel looked at him. "All right, well...shall we head off?"

He shrugged. "If you're ready. Sam, do you have a ride home?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I have my truck. I'll walk out with you guys."

When they got to Mr. Schuester's car, he and Sam high-fived. "Good work today, Sam."

Sam gave them a thumbs up and left for his truck. "See you guys later."

The drive home was kind of quiet. Rachel kept fiddling with the hem of her skirt and Mr. Schuester wondered why she was so nervous. _Then_ he realised how awkward her confrontation with Sam must have been.

He cleared his throat. "So...did you have a good lesson today?"

She nodded without looking at him. "Indeed, I did. I learned a new song today. I nearly _cried_ when I first heard it."

They sat silently again for a while. Suddenly, he remembered the thing about Sam. "Hey Rachel, do you remember two years ago when I gave you that pep talk about finding a boy who will like you for who you are, especially the parts you don't like about yourself?"

She whipped her head and glared at him. "I know where you're going with this, Mr. Schuester. Please stop patronizing me."

He shrugged. "All right, we don't have to relive that. But I think I can offer you some more friendly advice."

She crossed her arms. "And what could that possibly be?"

He focused back on the road. "Everyone deserves a second chance, even if you don't think they do. But if you don't _give_ that person a second chance, you're going to wind up missing an opportunity to move on."

When she didn't answer, he continued. "I know that Sam hurt you over the summer and you're upset about it. But ever since he came back, he's been trying non-stop to show you how sorry he is and that he wants to try again. Whether or not you want to is entirely up to you, but you never know what will happen if you stay stuck to whatever is past. Maybe things will be better this time...or maybe he'll break your heart a second time. Only time will tell _along_ with that second chance."

She looked up at him again. "How do you know all this?"

He shrugged and smiled. "I'm a teacher, it's my job."

She sighed and nodded understandingly. "Thanks for the advice, Mr. Schuester."

He patted her knee. "No problem. If you choose to take it, that's up to you. I just thought you might need a little more guidance."

She stared at her shoes. "But I'm not sure if I'm ready to forgive him yet."

"It doesn't have to be right here, right now. I know you still maybe debating but you need to decide when the _right_ time is before it's too late."

They got to her house and she noticed that her Dads weren't home again. She sighed. "Looks like it'll be dinner for one again tonight."

Mr. Schuester frowned. "Do you want me to stay with you until your Dads get home?"

She shook her head. "No, it's all right. I'll be fine."

He nodded. "Okay, well if you don't feel like being alone just call me and I'll be right over. See ya later, Rachel."

She smiled and waved. "Good-bye, Mr. Schuester!"

**Yikes, it's been a while since I gave Mr. Schuester any dialogue. But I enjoy his help getting this train moving. See you cats later!**


	12. Day 1: One Thing I'd Never Do Again

***This chapter was edited and re-uploaded. Sorry buddies, I forgot to add the first verse of the song.***

**Hey, hey! All right, so I don't like giving out spoilers but I need to write these down before I forget them. **

**Here is the Valentine's Day Song List which will be sung in each chapter. These are just being put here so I don't forget them and can be referred back to if I do forget. You'll understand as the chapters roll along.**

**Day 1. I'll Never Break Your Heart-Backstreet Boys**

**Day 2. Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars**

**Day 3. Unchained Melody-Righteous Brothers**

**Day 4. Stereo Hearts-Maroon 5**

**Day 5. I Knew I Loved You-Savage Garden**

**Day 6. Accidentally in Love-Counting Crows**

**Day 7. a.k.a Valentine's Day: Baby-Justin Bieber**

**BONUS SOLO: More Than Words-Extreme**

**All right, here's your spoiler. Enjoy!**

February rolled around fast and soon it was time for everyone at McKinley High to start making requests for their Valentine Singing Grams. _Everyone_ was so eager to send one, the God Squad got at least seventy requests a day.

Sam had his plan for Rachel all set up.

One day while the members were counting their requests, Sam cleared his throat and pulled out a fake list. "Well, it looks like Rachel Berry got seven Valentine requests!"

Mercedes and Quinn looked at each other and smiled.

Joe on the other hand looked up surprised. "That girl in your Glee Club? My, she must be _really_ popular! Who are they all from?"

Good thing Sam planned everything ahead of time because it would seem a bit odd to admit that he would be sending her seven singing grams. He knew that Joe didn't watch TV or movies so he wrote down a bunch of fictional characters. He looked at his list again and read out: "Um...Zack Morris, James T. Kirk, Luke Solo, Brad Majors, Will Turner, Peter Parker and Ash Ketchum."

Mercedes raised her eyebrows. "Wow, that's a lot! What songs did they request?"

He pushed her the list. "I have an idea on how we can get them all to her. She's a _real_ special girl and there are seven songs so why don't we perform them for her each day leading up to Valentine's Day? We can start on the seventh because the final day will be V-Day."

Quinn patted his hand. "Sam, that's a great idea! And since some of these songs strictly require only male vocals, maybe we can ask the Glee boys to help you and Joe out. Would that be okay, Joe?"

He shrugged. "I guess. So where's the money for these seven requests?"

"I handled it, don't you worry your tarantula head." Mercedes replied, winking at Sam.

On the 7th, Sam and the rest of the Glee guys dressed in the same blue tuxedos they wore last year when they performed their _Stop in the Name of Love/Free Your Mind_ mash-up and wore warm clothing over them. Since it was day one, they would be performing in the middle of her first period class. Yesterday, he went around to ask all her teachers if they didn't mind a quick interruption but was surprised to see that they were actually pleased. He couldn't do her fourth period, though because she had to take a test so they had to perform in the courtyard during her lunch period.

When she got to school, she was surprised to find and note and a red rose attached to her locker.

_There are worse things I could do. But there is **one** thing I would **never** do...again. I know I did it once, but I'd **never ** do it twice._

She stared at the note confused. What the heck did **that** mean?

She turned and saw a crowd of girls surrounding her. Many of them were whispering and shooting her jealous looks. She rolled her eyes and headed to English class.

When she got there, she poked Santana who sat behind her.

Santana sighed frustratedly. "What, Yentl?"

Rachel showed her the note. "Found this on my locker. Do you have any idea who did it?"

Santana shook her head. "How the heck am I supposed to know? I don't know anyone who'd want to prank you..."

Their teacher, Ms. Coyne walked into the room. "Hello, class! Please take out your Hamlet books, we'll be finishing up Act three today."

When everyone pulled out their books, she nodded approvingly. "All right, so for this scene we need a Queen Gertrude, Polonius and Hamlet. Now for the role of Gertrude-" Rachel's hand suddenly shot up and she started bouncing up and down in her seat.

Santana put her hand on her shoulder. "Sit down, Hobbit. You're gonna hit your head on the ceiling."

Ms. Coyne shook her head. "Rachel, I'm going to choose someone else to read today. The whole class can't fully understand the text if not everyone participates. Mandy, you will read for Gertrude today. Josh will read for Polonius and Javier will read for Hamlet. Please come up and choose your costume pieces."

Rachel pouted in her seat.

Before they started reading, there was a knock at the door. Rachel sat up in her seat and her eyes widened when she saw Sam, Joe and the rest of the Glee guys come in all wearing blue tuxedos.

Ms. Coyne pretended to act surprised. "Oh, hello! May I help you?"

Joe pulled out a list. "Valentine Singing-Gram for Rachel Berry from...Zack Morris."

Everyone in the class started snickering. Rachel turned to Santana confused. "What's so funny?"

Santana smirked. "Zack Morris...Saved By the Bell reference. Not a real person."

Rachel frowned. "So...this is a prank?"

Santana shrugged. "No idea."

Rachel looked back at Sam who winked at her.

All the boys got into position and the music started.

_Baby, I know you're hurting  
Right now you feel like you could never  
Love again  
Now all I ask is for a chance  
To prove that I love you_

_From the first day  
That I saw your smiling face  
Honey, I knew that we would  
Be together forever  
Ooh when I asked you out  
You said no but I found out  
Darling that you'd been hurt  
You felt like you'd never love again  
_

_I deserve a try honey just once  
Give me a chance and I'll prove this all wrong  
You walked in, you were so quick to judge  
But honey he' s nothing like me_

_I'll never break your heart  
I'll never make you cry  
I'd rather die than live without you  
I'll give you all of me  
Honey, that's no lie_

Something about that song seemed familiar. She remembered the note on her locker and slipped it out of her skirt pocket. She re-read it and smiled.

As the song progressed, all the boys individually came up to her and made romantic gestures such as kissing her hand, touching her cheek, wrapping their arms around her and swaying, etc.

She started blushing furiously. The whole class changed from laughing because they thought it was a prank to pure jealousy. The girls, minus Santana, were swooning, mouthing the words and shooting her jealous glares and the boys were moaning on how stupid they were not to have thought of buying a singing gram for their girl or girl of interest.

_No way, no how (I'll never break your heart girl, I'll never make you cry)  
I swear (Oh I, oh I, I swear)  
No way, no how (I'll never break your heart girl, I'll never make you cry)_

_I'll never break your heart  
I'll never make you cry  
I'd rather die than live without you  
I'll give you all of me  
Honey, that's no lie_

The song ended and everyone in class clapped. Rachel giggled and clapped along, her face as red as ketchup.

All the Glee guys came up to her individually and either kissed her hand or kissed her cheek. When it was Sam's turn, he took her hand and kissed it. When he let go, she felt a note pressed in her hand.

The boys exited slowly. Sam and Joe turned to the rest of the class. "Thanks for your time. Don't forget to buy _your_ special guy or gal a singing Gram from any member of the God Squad, only $5 each. We'll sing _any_ love song of your choice, but keep it clean. Stay lovely, everyone!"

They both left to deliver more singing grams and Ms. Coyne turned to Rachel smiling. "You're a lucky girl, Rachel."

When Many, Josh and Javier began reading the scene, she took out the note Sam left with her.

_Rachel, this is only the beginning. Day one is complete...you have six more to go. You'll love it, I promise._

She smiled and slipped the note back into her pocket along with the one she sound on her locker.

_**Glee**_

She walked into the choir room and took her usual seat next to Blaine and Kurt who were still wearing their tuxedos.

"Great performance today." She muttered.

Blaine chuckled. "It's only the beginning."

When everyone came in, all that was left was Sam. When he came in, still wearing his tuxedo, everyone clapped for him.

When Mr. Schuester came in, he started clapping. "Hey, great job on the Valentine-Grams today boys! Now I have a special Valentine's Day assignment for you all too." He went up to the board and wrote _Girls vs Boys_. "Yup, we're doing another gender-off. Girls will do a group number for the boys and boys will do so for the girls. Keep it classy, but also be creative with your songs! I highly recommend not doing one that _everyone_ knows...dig deeper into your research."

They all split into their groups. The girls started giggling at Rachel.

"You're so lucky!"

"See, I _told_ you he loves you!"

Santana looked confused. "Wait, who's _he_? Her singing-gram was _obviously_ just a prank since he didn't have the guts to put his real name."

Mercedes and Quinn pulled her aside. "Look, this is all Sam's doing. He _loves_ her and is trying to win her back."

Santana nodded and laughed. "Wow, he's willing to get all the Glee guys to dress in tuxedos _just_ to serenade her, I like it!"

Quinn glared at her. "Keep it on the down-low, she's going to be serenaded six more times leading up to the big one on Valentine's Day and no one else is supposed to expect it."

Santana shrugged. "I don't talk to her on a daily basis so I can keep my mouth shut."

Both Mercedes and Quinn sat back in their seats relieved. "Cross our fingers they'll be back together on Valentine's Day?"

Mercedes nodded. "I'm not betting money anymore...I already lost so much on New Years!"

**And finished with Day 1! Now according to the TV category page on Fan Fiction, there are almost 1 million stories for Glee! Seriously, it's at like 93,000 something. Anyhow, I am amazed that Glee has the most stories in this category, it's astounding!**

**Day 1 is done...which means Day 2 is next. What song is on Day 2 **


	13. Day 2: To Me, You Are Perfect

**Change of plans. On Day 7 a.k.a Valentine's Day, Sam will sing _She Will Be Loved_ to Rachel instead of _Baby_. Sorry, it's just that that song if my _favorite_ song ever and I would kill myself if I didn't make him sing it for her.**

**As for the boys and girls singing in groups, I've decided the boys will sing _Earth Angel_ (The do-wop version by New Edition). Not sure about the girls though...**

**As for that "bonus" solo...you'll see. I'll be asking you readers for some help on that.**

**Which means...**

**Day 1. I'll Never Break Your Heart-Backstreet Boys**

**Day 2. Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars**

**Day 3. Unchained Melody-Righteous Brothers**

**Day 4. Stereo Hearts-Maroon 5**

**Day 5. I Knew I Loved You-Savage Garden**

**Day 6. Accidentally in Love-Counting Crows**

**Day 7. a.k.a Valentine's Day: She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5**

**BONUS SOLO: More Than Words-Extreme**

**Now get ready for day two!**

Sam woke up early and got dressed. He was pleased to know that he didn't have to re-dress in his tuxedo because it was _freezing_ out but he still dressed nicely in a light blue button down shirt and dress slacks. Over it, he threw on his usual Letterman jacket.

After that, he and Mercedes headed for school early. When they got there, they met up with Joe and Quinn and began to decorate Rachel's 2nd period Biology classroom. Since they were singing _Just the Way You Are_, Sam decided to decorate the room with all kinds of stars to show that she is always a star no matter what to him.

When the classroom was decorated, he headed to Mr. Schuester's classroom to have a man-to-man talk with him on how to present the song.

"I mean, I understand the song but how am I supoosed to make it really _mean_ something?"

Mr. Schuester sat down at his desk with his cup of coffee. "You like her, right?"

Sam nodded. "Not just like...I'm literally in _love_ with Rachel."

Mr. Schuester smiled and leaned his chin in his hand. "Well what do you _love_ about her?"

Sam thought for a second. "Everything. I love that she's ambitious, assertive, talented, funny, kind...I know that she's _always_ thinking of other people."

"What about her flaws?" Mr. Schuester asked.

Sam stared at him oddly. "Flaws? I don't understand."

Mr. Schuester stood up and walked over to him. "Let me tell you a little story. Two years ago when Rachel was just a wee little sophomore, she developed a big schoolgirl crush on me after singing a duet together in Glee Club. And believe me, she went all out on this crush: one time, I came home to find her actually _cleaning_ my house! Anyway, I knew I had to put a stop to it before she took drastic measures and told her that someday she would find a boy who likes her for everything that she is. And he'd especially like the parts she doesn't like about herself the most. Now she _has_ to have some flaws somewhere, whether they are physical or emotional. What do you think they are?"

Sam thought long and hard. "Well she likes to complain about her nose, but I think her nose is the cutest thing I've ever seen. She drinks water when she's upset because her Dads used to give her glasses of water when she cried so now she can't tell the difference between being sad and thirsty. She has a fear of slushies which gives her an excuse to hind behind me whenever we pass my teammates. Sunsets and fine art are her Kryptonite. That's a lot!"

Mr. Schuester shrugged. "Well there we go. Now put _everything_ you love about her into the sing and bada-bing, bada-boom, you've got yourself a convincing Bruno Mars song."

Sam smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Schuester."

He nodded and patted him on the back. "Go get her, Sam."

Rachel was surprised to find yet _another_ note and a pink daisy on her locker.

_You're amazing no matter what you say, what you do, what you wear and where you go. There's just so much I love about you...but it's what you **don't** like about yourself that I love the most. To me, you are perfect._

_P.S. You have the cutest nose, don't you forget that._

She looked at the note and the flower very suspiciously. There was only **one** person who knew that phrase and that flower!

But there was _no way_ in heck would Mr. Schuester write something like that and leave it on her locker for everyone to see. She looked around but everyone was busy heading to their classes and no one looked suspicious. She would have to have a chat with Mr. Schuester later during Glee.

First period went by slowly but when she got to Biology, her eyes widened. Why was the whole room decorated with stars?

Everyone already in the classroom where confused too. Some were muttering that their teacher Mr. Robinson had lost his mind. He was old and pretty slow already so it wasn't much of a shock.

Mr. Robinson hobbled in and she raised her hand. "Mr. Robinson, you _are_ aware that this is Biology class, not Earth Space Science, right?"

Mr. Robinson squinted at the stars and smiled. "Ah, yes. We have visitors coming today and they requested to decorate the room this morning. While we wait for them, let's all pair up with your partners at the lab tables so you can continue to examine your specimens."

Rachel met up with Tina who fetched their starfish while Rachel fetched their microscope.

She showed her the note. "Do you think Mr. Schuester would write this?"

Tina shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would write something _that_ romantic to a student."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well _someone_ must have had a word with him. Who do you think is visiting?"

Tina placed the starfish under the microscope. "I have no idea. I sure hope it's not that boring dude from the museum again. If I had know he'd be so boring, I would have brought a pillow and blanket. Geeze, I should have _thanked_ him for that nice long nap."

Rachel sighed and examined the starfish with Tina for a while until there was a knock at the door.

Mr. Robinson chuckled and hobbled to the door. "Our visitors are here!"

In walked Sam, Quinn, Mercedes and Joe walked in each holding a pink daisy. "Valentine-Gram for Rachel Berry from James T. Kirk."

The whole class burst out laughing including Mr. Robinson.

Rachel turned to Tina. "What's so funny? Who is that?"

Tina smiled. "Don't you get it? Stars...James T. Kirk...Star Trek reference."

Rachel sighed frustrated. "Honestly, what's with this person using fictional character names?"

Quinn grabbed Rachel and brought her to the middle of the room while the music started. She and Mercedes provided the backup vocals while Sam took over the lead.

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes  
Make the stars look like they're not _shinin_'  
Her hair, her hair  
Falls perfectly without her trying  
She's so beautiful  
And I tell her everyday  
Yeahh_

I know, I know  
When I compliment her she won't believe me  
And it's so, it's so  
Sad to think that she don't see what I see  
But every time she asks me "Do I look okay?"  
I say

Quinn, Sam, Joe and Mercedes danced around the room in between the stars.

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
'Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are  
And when you smile  
The whole world stops and stares for a while  
'Cause girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are  
Yeah_

Sometimes they would take some of the stars down and dance around her with them.

_The way you are  
The way you are  
Girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are _

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are  
And when you smile  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
Cause girl you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

Yeah

They grabbed the biggest star hanging, surrounded her and held it in front of her as the song ended. She felt her face heat up like a microwave and she took the big star.

The whole class clapped and cheered. Joe and Sam announced their Valentine-gram pitch again and shook r. Robinson's hand.

"Don't worry, Mr. Robinson." Sam said. "We'll have this room star-free by the end of the day."

Mr. Robinson nodded. "That'll do, Samuel. Good day to you."

When they left, he turned to them. "All right, congratulations or your love declaration, Rachel. Everyone get back to your specimens."

One of the girls at the table next to them, Leslie, poked Rachel. "Wow, two singing grams in a row. Someone must _really_ like you! Do you have any idea who it is?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. It's very sweet though."

_**After Glee**_

Rachel marched straight to the choir room and slammed the note on Mr. Schuester's desk. "Mr. Schuester, as much as I admire this lovely note and wonderful singing-Gram today, I undoubtedly do _not_ harbor feelings for you anymore!"

Mr. Schuester stared at her shocked. "What are you talking about, Rachel?"

She frowned and shook her finger at him. "Now Mr. Schuester, please do not play _dumb_. I am very much well here trying not to lose my cool right now so I would highly recommend you not deny anything any longer and just admit that you put this note with the pink daisy on my locker."

Mr. Schuester stood up and held her by the shoulders. "Calm down, Rach. I didn't write you a note or send you a singing-Gram."

She rolled her eyes and unfolded the note. "Oh, please. _I have the cutest_ nose which **obviously** refers back to that pep talk you gave me two years ago about finding a boy that would like what I hated about myself the most. And the pink daisies that I gave you! Now I understand why you did it: you didn't like me at first but then after you rejected me, you _finally _realized that the feeling was mutual-"

Mr. Schuester shook his head. "Rachel...listen to me. I did _not_ write you that note, give you that daisy or request a singing-Gram. I don't know _who_ did it...and the nose thing is purely coincidental."

Her lip quivered and she felt like she was about to cry. "So...you're _not_ my secret admirer?"

He sighed. "No, Rachel. But whoever it is must _really_ like you."

She swallowed. "I-I'm sorry I got all diva on you."

He patted her shoulder. "It's quite all right. Now go take your seat, please."

She took her seat in between Kurt and Blaine.

Santana leaned over. "Ooh, Rachel Berry's got a secret admirer! What fictional character did your knight in shining armor use _this_ time?"

Kurt glared at her. "Zip it, Santana."

Rachel wiped her quick tears and turned to her with a small smile. "Today I got one from Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise."

On the other side of the room, Sam smiled to himself.

Mr. Schuester stood at the front of the room. "All right, I hope you all are working hard on your songs. I have a bit of an extra credit assignment for all of you to go along with the group number. Now I _know_ many of you have a special someone and you don't want to rely on other voices to sing your love to them, so anyone who wants to sing a nice Valentine's Day solo is welcome to."

They all broke into their groups again except for Rachel who sat sadly in her seat.

Mercedes came up to her. "Baby girl, why are you sad?"

Rachel looked up at her. "Because I have a secret admirer."

Mercedes looked confused. "But why are you sad? I'd be flattered!"

Rachel shrugged. "I hate suspense and waiting. Obviously, this person is too shy to tell me they like me on their own so they're using fictional characters. What if someone's cat fishing me?" Suddenly something dawned upon her. "Mercedes...you're in the God Squad. Who requested the seven Valentine singing-Gram for me?"

Mercedes shrugged. "Sweetie, we don't know. Everyone puts their name, song request and who for on a slip of paper in a box and whoever it is used those names. We only did it because some people are too shy to approach us."

Sam walked away from his group and joined them. "Hey there, Rachel. Are you ok?"

She shook her head. "I _really_ want to know who my secret admirer is!"

He slipped a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I found this in our request box. I think you ought to read it."

She opened the paper and the three of them read it together.

_Dear Rachel,_

_Your secret admirer will reveal his or herself after the seventh singing-Gram is delivered to you on Valentine's Day. Until then, you have five more coming so get ready!_

She smiled. "Well that makes me feel a _little_ better."

Sam chuckled. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

She shrugged. "Not a clue. But I'm sure whoever it is is definitely worth listening to."

"Sam, Rachel, Mercedes. Get back to your groups, please." Mr. Schuester called out to them.

Rachel nodded. "Will do, Mr. Schuester. Come come guys, let's get back to work."

**And that's the end of Day 2. Enjoy!**


	14. Day 3: Pleasure of Touch

**DAY 3!**

**Day 1. I'll Never Break Your Heart-Backstreet Boys**

**Day 2. Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars**

**Day 3. Unchained Melody-Righteous Brothers**

**Day 4. Stereo Hearts-Maroon 5**

**Day 5. I Knew I Loved You-Savage Garden**

**Day 6. Accidentally in Love-Counting Crows**

**Day 7. a.k.a Valentine's Day: She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5**

**Well will see a reenactment of our FAVORITE romance movie and Rachel will have a solo at the end accompanied by Sam and Brad. I am altering the lyrics a bit.**

**There will be a small note for you all to read at the end of this chapter.**

Day 3 was another day where he needed the Glee guys to sing. He dressed in black slacks and a white button down shirt.

Rachel's third period class was Art class which thankfully was right next to the Pottery class classroom.

Since this song was popular for being in the Patrick Swayze _Ghost_ which Rachel loved so much, he arranged for nine pottery wheels to be brought to the art room when it was time to perform. The pottery class teacher Mrs. Lawrence was more than excited when he told her what is was for. She was desperate romance who _loved_ seeing teenagers be creative to declare love for each other. She was even nice enough to teach the boys how to make a decent pot.

When Rachel got to her locker, she found a small bouquet of carnations.

On the note was one simple word: _Ditto_.

What the heck did _that_ mean?

Behind the note was a small card that explained what the colors of the carnations symbolized.

_Red-Deep, romantic love; passion_

_White-pure love; innocence; faithfulness_

_Pink-"always on my mind"_

Hm...now who would know all that?

First and second period went by slowly. She could still hear the girls in each class jealously whispering about her behind her back. They were _especially_ shocked when they noticed her bouquet and refused to speak to her for the rest of the class period.

When she got to Art class, she grabbed her painting smock and waited at her seat for Mrs. Lawrence to arrive. She felt someone poke her side and turned to see her classmate Leanne twirling her hair and chewing quite loudly on her piece of gum.

"I hear Miss Rachel Berry's got herself a secret admirer! What kind of flowers did he leave on your locker today?"

Rachel smiled. "He left me three different colored Carnations. That was **super** sweet of him."

Leanne sighed and blew some loose hair out of her face. "I wish Adam did that for me. I don't even know if he's planning anything for Valentine's Day."

Rachel patted her hand politely. "I'm sure he's going to surprise you. Most boys wind up doing it when they start acting all shady."

Mrs. Lawrence walked in already wearing her paint-stained smock. "Hello, class! Well what are we waiting for? Please continue on your self-portraits."

Rachel headed back to her easel while Leanne grabbed her stool and sat in front of her. "Is my portrait almost done?"

Rachel grabbed some paint and some paintbrushes. "Almost. I promise, you look _fantastic_."

She began finishing her painting, but midway through the class period, there was a knock on the door.

Mrs. Lawrence opened it and Sam and Joe walked in. "Valentine singing-Gram for Rachel Berry from Luke Solo!"

Leanne looked confused. "Who the heck is Luke Solo?"

Rachel chuckled. "It's my secret admirer. He's been using the names of fictional characters and this time he used the names of two guys from Star Wars."

Leanne popped her gum and nodded. "Girl, this is like the _third_ singing-Gram you've gotten this week! Someone surely loves you."

Rachel nodded, wondering what song they would sing that had to do with the word _Ditto_.

Sam and Joe left the classroom real quick and returned with the rest of the Glee guys rolling in pottery wheels. They each grabbed a smock, positioned themselves at their wheels and started working on their pottery as the music started.

_Oh my love  
My darling  
I've hungered for your touch  
A long lonely time  
As time goes by so slowly  
And time can do so much  
Are you still mine?  
I need your love  
I need your love  
God speed your love  
To me_

Rachel's jaw dropped. Now **this** was another clue: her secret admirer watched a lot of TV and movies, knew that she liked gold stars and that _Ghost_ was her favorite romance movie.

Whoever this person was, he _obviously_ knew what they were doing. But for now, all she could do was watch Sam focus on making his pot and the other boys provided the backup vocals.

_Lonely rivers flow  
To the sea  
To the sea  
To the open arms  
Of the sea  
Lonely rivers sigh  
"Wait for me, wait for me"  
I'll be coming home  
Wait for me._

Sam got up from his wheel, wiped his hand and approached Rachel. He gestured her to him and held out his hand. She sucked in her breath and could feel the other girls' glares burning into her. Ha, who cares? This was one of her favorite songs and she was being invited up with amazing looking boys making pottery just for her.

She smiled and took his hand. He led her to his wheel, sitting her down and he sat behind her. Then he placed her hands in the water cup and placed it on the clay while he started spinning the wheel.

"Let the clay slide between your fingers." He murmured in her ear and suddenly she felt as if she stepped into the movie during that _very_ scene.

He hummed in her ear for a while as she started forming the shape of her pot. She closed her eyes enjoying his warm breath in her ear, his whole body pressed against her and the feel of her hands sliding in sync with hers.

_Oh my love  
My darling  
I've hungered for your touch  
A long lonely time  
And time goes by so slowly  
And time can do so much  
Are you still mine?  
I need your love  
I need your love  
God speed your love  
To me  
_

The music ended and she knew very well that she didn't want Sam to let go of her. She turned her head to smile at him and he smiled back. However, he stopped the wheel and stood up.

She pouted from loss of touch and suddenly felt numb and empty.

Joe and Sam walked to the front of the room while the rest of the classmates clapped and cheered.

"Don't forget to send your sweetheart a Valentine Singing-Gram courtesy of the God Squad, only $5 each. Stay lovely, everyone!"

They boys pushed their wheels out of the room and she heard them chatting about the state of their pots.

"That was exciting!"

"Look at my pot, I think it's deformed."

"_My_ pot kind of looks like Channing Tatum."

When they left, all the girls started loudly whispering again. Rachel washed her hands and went back to her easel. Leanne pouted.

Rachel looked at her confused. "Leanne, do you want me to paint you pouting?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm just _triple_ jealous that you got to live my dream. _Any_ girl would be lucky enough to reenact the pottery scene from _Ghost_ and **you** got to. So no, I won't smile today."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Come on Leanne, you're being petty. All I have to do is paint your facial expression and I _don't_ want to paint you frowning."

Leanne huffed and crossed her arms. "Then shade in my skin tone or something!"

Rachel sighed frustrated. This was going to be a _long_ day.

_**Glee**_

Rachel was the first one in the choir room.

The boys started coming in one by one still wearing their outfits they wore when they came in this morning. For some odd reason, Rory took the seat next to her grinning widely.

"Hello, there Rachel. Fancy sitting next to you today if you don't mind."

She shrugged. "It's fine. You boys did a great job today."

"Thanks! I've _never_ made a pot by hand before. Sam's _really_ got this all planned out, mind you."

They sat silently for a few seconds. She placed her hand on top of his. "Rory..._you_ wouldn't happen to know who my secret admirer is, do you?"

Rory shook his head. "Nope, don't know more than you do. Sam just came to us asking for help and we agreed."

She sighed. "Well that's just lovely. Apparently I have four more of these coming before he reveals himself."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure whoever he is will be worth waiting for."

She smiled at him. "Thanks Rory, you're a great pal."

_**After Glee**_

Rachel met up with Brad in the auditorium for her lesson.

"Today, I think we'll just work on what solo you're doing for Glee. Have you decided what you wanted to sing?"

She shook her head. "No...there are just _so_ many options!"

Brad took out his piano sheets. "Let's look through these together and see if anything interests you."

They searched through each sheet but she shook her head. "No...there's nothing. This is so frustrating."

Suddenly, Sam stepped out from behind the curtain carrying his guitar. "I think I can help you get an idea."

They both turned to him. "Sam, what are you doing here?"

He smiled. "I was just practicing my guitar in the choir room and I decided to stop by. I think I can help you find a solo."

She blinked. "You can? How?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded music sheets. "I looked online and found this song. I think it suits you."

She took the music sheets and examined it. "_A Thousand Years_ by Christina Perry. Is it a nice song?"

He shrugged. "Personally I think it is. Try it out, maybe it will give you some inspiration."

She placed the sheets in front Brad and nodded to him. "All right, let's try this."

Brad and Sam started playing while Rachel leaned over Brad's shoulder staring at the sheets.

_The day we met,  
Frozen I held my breath  
Right from the start  
I knew that I'd found a home for my heart...  
... beats fast_

_But watching you stand alone?  
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

She then started circling around the piano, taking tiny steps toward Sam who also couldn't keep his eyes off her.

_I have died everyday waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you  
For a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

She watched Sam's hands gently strum the guitar with suck ease and she felt her heart beating faster than the speed of light. For some reason, she just couldn't stop smiling. It was as if his presence was the only reason why she looked forward to getting up in the morning.

_One step closer  
One step closer_

I have died everyday waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you  
For a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

The song ended and she and Sam were literally almost touching noses. When she realized it, she turned away quickly feeling her face turn super red. "Um...I like that song. That was a good run."

Sam grinned. "Great! So do you have a general idea of what you want to sing now?"

She shrugged. "Maybe...but that's a _really_ great song. I enjoyed singing it."

He nodded. "All right...well I'll leave you back to your lesson. See you tomorrow."

After he left, she suddenly felt numb again. She had enjoyed being with him all day and now that empty feeling made her realize that she _never_ wanted to be out of her sight.

**All right, it's reader's choice time!**

**Rachel can't decide what to sing for her solo...and neither can I. We have 3 choices:**

**My Valentine-Martina McBride**

**Dreaming of You-Selena**

**This I Swear-Nick Lachey**

**Now I was hoping to pick a song based on if she could singing it, originality, and creativity. Leave your choice in the review box and hopefully your choice wins! The winner will be revealed when she sings the solo in an upcoming chapter (can't guarantee the next one). Enjoy!**


	15. Day 4: Metaphors

**Day 1. I'll Never Break Your Heart-Backstreet Boys**

**Day 2. Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars**

**Day 3. Unchained Melody-Righteous Brothers**

**Day 4. Stereo Hearts-Maroon 5**

**Day 5. I Knew I Loved You-Savage Garden**

**Day 6. Accidentally in Love-Counting Crows**

**Day 7. a.k.a Valentine's Day: She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5**

**Question: Do magnolias smell? I know that some of neighbors have Magnolia trees but I'm not gonna trespass onto their yard just to smell one. So...yeah, do they smell?**

**We have three more days to go with these singing-grams and I'm running out of flower ideas. To recap, I've already used a rose, pink daisy, carnations, and now a Magnolia. The 7th day will end with a pink lily but I don't know what to use for the remaining two. Any ideas? Put them in the review box!**

By the fourth day, the **entire** school new that Rachel was receiving Valentine's Day singing-grams one after the other.

As she walked the halls, she heard a lot of whispers. Some of them were from jealous girls wondering how someone could work _that_ hard to get the attention of Rachel Berry. Others, mostly jocks, were whispering about how the singing-grams were all a joke and how they couldn't wait to see her face when it's revealed that it is.

But the _main_ question everyone was asking was: _who is sending them?_

The obvious main culprits were one of the boys from Glee since they were the only ones that tolerated her.

Was it Finn? "No, we just didn't work out. That would be awkward."

Was it Mike? "Um...I have Tina."

Was it Rory? "No, as much as I fancy her as a person, I wouldn't go all out just for her."

Was it Puck? "She rejected my advances like five times. What makes you think I'd try again?"

Was it Artie? "Romantically in love with Rachel Berry? That's like saying Thor's silver hammer is in love with Captain America's shield!"

Was it Blaine or Kurt? "_NO!"_

For some reason, no one in the school suspected Sam even though he was the one planning the presentations. It came as a bit of a shock when the news broke out that they were dating last year. The football team didn't approve because they thought it was bad for his image and all the girls tried to convince her to dump him just so they could have him for their selves. When word broke out that he was moving, they were all relieved and hoped that things would get back to normal.

Ever since he came back, all the girls have made _numerous_ attempts to snag him but he blew them off. And he was honest about it too: he didn't use any excuses, he just said _no_.

When Rachel got to her locker the next day, she found a small flower pot with an orchid and a small note.

_You like metaphors, right? This metaphor will beat any simile anytime._

She anticipated that the singing-gram would come during fourth period so her Calculus test would be delayed but was disappointed when there was no knock on the door.

She felt a secret thrill as she pondered who could possibly be sending sending her these nice treats. No guy in the _entire_ school would be that naive to spend a whole week just to please her! Secretly, deep down inside she hoped it would be Sam. She was sick and tired of pretending to play the friend game just so she wouldn't get her heart broken again. If it _was_ him, she'd take him back in a heartbeat!

But why should he? She already ran off on him when he tried to kiss her on New Years. He probably thought she was a giant prick and officially gave up on her. Oh well, she would just wait until the seventh day to find out.

During lunch, she sat alone in the courtyard. Usually, she would sit with Quinn and Mercedes but they had a God Squad meeting and couldn't make it. As the picked at her salad, she suddenly heard Joe's voice booming through the courtyard.

"Rachel Berry! Has anyone seen Rachel Berry?"

The people at the tables around her pointed. Joe and the rest of the God Squad spotted her and approached her table.

Sam pulled out his list. "Valentine Singing-gram for Rachel Berry from...Brad Majors."

She giggled, knowing the reference from when they performed _Rocky Horror Show_ last year.

He nodded to the band that was centered directly at the center of the courtyard and they began playing.

_My heart's a stereo  
It beats for you, so listen close  
Hear my thoughts in every no-o-o-te  
Make me your radio  
And turn me up when you feel low  
This melody was meant for you  
Just sing along to my stereo_

Sam pulled a rose out of his Letterman jacket and handed it to her. While he started rapping, he kept moving closer to her. For some reason, she just couldn't stop grinning.

_If I was just another dusty record on the shelf  
Would you blow me off and play me like everybody else,  
If I ask you to scratch my back, could you manage that?  
Like it read here, check it Trouty, I can handle that  
__Furthermore, I apologize for any skipping tracks  
Its just the last girl that played me left a couple cracks  
I used to used to used to used to, now I'm over that  
Cause holding grudges over love is ancient artifacts_

_If I could only find a note to make you understand  
I'd sing it softly in your ear and grab you by the hand  
Just keep it stuck inside your head, like your favorite tune  
And know my heart is a stereo that only plays for you _

Quinn offered her hand out to Rachel and started twirling her around the courtyard.

_My heart's a stereo  
It beats for you, so listen close  
Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote  
Make me your radio  
Turn me up when you feel low  
This melody was meant for you  
Just sing along to my stereo_

Suddenly, a random church choir (courtesy of Mercedes' church) appeared singing the backup vocals. Wow, this performance was planned specifically!

_I only pray you'll never leave me behind  
Because good music can be so hard to find  
I take your head and hold it closer to mine  
Thought love was dead, but now you're changing my mind _

_My heart's a stereo  
It beats for you, so listen close  
Hear my thoughts in every no-o-ote  
Make me your radio  
Turn me up when you feel low  
This melody was meant for you  
Just sing along to my stereo_

She jumped up and down and clapped. "Yay! That was _really_ good!"

Sam and Joe walked up to her and kissed her hand. Mercedes thanked the choir and Quinn thanked the band.

All of a sudden, they were being surrounded and swarmed by many students wanting to request their own singing-gram. Soon, Rachel was pushed out of the crowd and landed quite painfully on her butt on the concrete ground.

Sam pushed his way through the crowd and saw her starting to tear up. "Oh my god, are you all right Rachel?"

She shook her head. "My butt hurts!"

He helped her off the ground gently. "Let's get some ice for that. Can you walk?"

She took a few steps but her knees buckled and she fell again. "No..."

He bent down and scooped her up in his arms. "All right, let's go, Princess."

She stared at him confused. "What are you doing?"

He smiled. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm carrying you to the nurse's office so you don't put any pressure on your cute throbbing fanny."

She playfully pushed him. "Please, my fanny is _not_ cute."

He chuckled. "Oh, now you take that back because I'm liable to drop you."

She gasped. "You _wouldn't_!"

He tapped her nose. "Take it back."

She stuck her tongue out. "Fine, I take it back. My butt is cute."

He smiled and nodded. "Good, now let's get some ice."

He carried her around the huge crowd leaving Mercedes, Quinn and Joe to deal with them. Some of the girls who noticed glared angrily at them in a proper jealous manner.

After they got her an icepack, they went back to the courtyard to finish her lunch. She frowned. "Great, just great. It's literally _freezing_ out here and I'm sitting on a cold, wet butt."

He patted her shoulder. "It's better than sitting on a painful throbbing butt for the rest of the day."

She winced. "Thanks for reminding me. Oh, this feels so uncomfortable against my skirt."

He sighed. "At least you got to eat lunch."

She gasped and dug into her lunchbox, pulling out a sandwich. "Here, have my sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly, your favorite."

His head shot up. "You remember my favorite sandwich?"

She nodded and held it out to him. "We _both_ like peanut butter and jelly, Sam. Now go on, eat."

He smiled and took the sandwich. "Thanks."

They chatted for a while until the bell rang.

He gathered up his backpack. "Thanks for the sandwich."

She grinned. "No problem. Thanks for the singing-gram. How many more do I have coming?"

He held up three fingers. "Three and they're gonna be great ones."

She giggled. "I can't wait."

He waved. "Well see ya, girlie."

She waved back eagerly. "Ciao, Trouty Mouth."

After he left, she sighed. That was the _best_ metaphor she ever heard of.


	16. Day 5: What I Know

**Hey, guess what? Magnolias DO smell! Wanna know how I found out? It turns out that I have a big Magnolia tree in my backyard that I've NEVER noticed before because it was on the far corner of the yard on the border that separates my yard with the next door neighbors. Magnolias only bloom in the spring I think which is why I spotted a bud on a branch and it smells quite lovely...kind of like lemon and vanilla. Anyway, I'm not sure Magnolia trees grow in Ohio nor do they grow in the midst of February, but I'll make that exception. **

**And I know that Magnolia trees are pretty BIG, so big that you can't even carry them around the way Rachel will do, so the tree will be a _sapling_ from Home Depot. And they usually don't sprout flowers as saplings but I need them too. I'm not a gardener so my research might be a bit off. If you know absolutely _anything_ about Magnolias, let me know in the reviews box!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam stayed up the majority of the night Thursday practicing _I Knew I Loved You_ on his guitar. It was a simple song, so he didn't need any backup music or vocals to help him out.

At 2 a.m, Mercedes knocked on the door clearly irritated. "Sam, it's two in the morning. Get some sleep!"

He shook his head and tuned his guitar. "No way, it's not perfect yet."

She sighed and rubbed her face. "Sam, I've heard you play that song at least fifty times since everyone went to bed. Come on, it's absolutely perfect enough."

He started flipping through his music sheets. "But it isn't perfect _enough_."

She walked over and sat on the bed. "Sam, you play this song beautifully. Everytime you play it, I can tell you're playing it from your heart. And if Rachel doesn't think that's enough, then she needs to get her ears checked."

He smiled. "Thanks, Mercedes. Sorry if I've been keeping you awake."

She rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Just go to bed."

He nodded. "Let me just play one more time."

She stood up and scratched her head. "Can't you get up early and practice?"

"Can't. I have to get up early and go to Home Depot to pick up that Magnolia tree I found."

Her eyes widened. "Where'd you get the money to buy a Magnolia tree?"

He shrugged. "I've been picking up shifts at _Papa Pizza_. They pay pretty good. It's not like a _big_ tree, just a sapling. But when she plants it, it'll grow into one.

She laughed. "Well I guess that's better than that strip club Kurt and I found you at..."

He held up his hand. "Hey hey...I don't look back on that. And you better not let your family hear about that or they'll perform an exorcism on me or something."

She smiled and playfully pushed his shoulder. "Come on, my family's not _that_ bad. Go ahead and play one more time, I'm getting used to it. But after that you better go to bed or I'll rip that guitar out of your hands and smash it."

As she left the room, he called out "If you smash it, you're paying for a new one!"

In the morning, he woke up early and drove to Home Depot to pick up a small potted Magnolia tree that Rachel could plant in her backyard.

When he got to school, Blaine met him at her locker and gave him her combination. He used it to open the locker and place the pot in it. Then he scribbled her daily note on a sticky note and left it on the inside of the door this time.

When she got to her locker, she frowned to see no note. Was she not getting one today? She opened her locker and gasped when she saw the potted tree. She sniffed the flowers, admiring it's absolutely sweet scent. Looking around, she spotted the note on the inside of her locker.

_I may not know a lot of things but there is one thing that I'm positively sure I **do** know._

She smiled and closed the locker. Kurt bounced up to her grinning. "So what did your secret admirer leave you today?"

She held up the pot. "A small Magnolia tree. This will look _amazing_ in my backyard once it grows bigger."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Wow, your secret admirer must _really_ fancy you. I didn't think Magnolia trees grew in Ohio."

She shrugged. "Well, he got this from _somewhere_. Are you performing a song for me today?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not today. I have no idea what Sam has planned for today, but I'm sure it's going to be great. Have you seen Blaine?"

"No...isn't he usually with you?" She asked.

He nodded. "Usually, yes. But He didn't pick up his phone this morning so now I have to spend all day worrying."

She patted his hand. "Now don't start panicking yet. He might just have forgotten to call, that's all."

He sighed and looped his arm through hers. "All right, I guess. Now let's get to class."

For the rest of the day, none of the girls in her classes talked to her because they were super envious that she was getting more attention. She was thankful though for the Magnolia because wherever she went, the flowers let out a really strong fragrant smell that turned everyones' heads.

When she walked into her U.S. History class, her teacher Mr. Duncan inhaled the sweet scent of her small tree and smiled. "What a lovely scent! Is that for me, Rachel?"

She giggled. "No, Mr. Duncan, this Magnolia tree isn't for you. Someone gave it to me as a gift."

All the girls in the class groaned. "Probably from here _secret admirer_!"

Mr. Duncan chuckled. "Ah yes, as we get closer to Valentine's Day, the secret admirers start appearing. I wasn't aware kids these days still _do _that. All right, everyone take out their textbooks and turn to chapter eleven. We're starting our chapter on the lovely 1960s. You know...Austin Powers, hippies, color, drugs, sex and Rock and Roll!"

The whole class laughed and whooped. "Hippies were _awesome_!"

Mr. Duncan chuckled. "We'll get to that, don't worry."

The lesson was actually pretty interesting. The students all took part explaining what they new and always asked questions. Towards the end of class, Mr. Duncan announced what his plans were for the rest of the chapter.

"We'll watch _Across the Universe_, I'll have my friend Alannah Granger who was a former hippie come in and describe her experiences and we'll have a Hippie Day were we can all dress up."

The class cheered, glad that they had at least _one_ class that was absolutely enjoyable.

There was a knock on the door and Sam came in holding his guitar.

"Hi Sam, what's up?" Mr. Duncan asked.

Sam pulled out his list. "Valentine Singing-Gram for Rachel Berry from...Will Turner."

Mr. Duncan nodded. "Ah yes, I heard about Rachel receiving these. You have no one accompanying you?"

Sam shook his head. "No sir, it's just me today."

Mr. Duncan blinked and rubbed his hands together. "All right, well do whatever you need to get settled."

Sam pulled up a chair and tuned his guitar. All the girls bounced out of their seats and pushed each other to try and get a good seat in front of him, but Mr. Duncan waved them back. "Back, girls! This song is for Rachel, so give him some breathing room!"

When Sam was ready, he cleared his throat and looked Rachel dead in the eyes. "Here's something I _do_ know."

He began strumming, keeping the vivid image of her in his mind.

_Maybe it's intuition  
But some things you just don't question  
Like in your eyes  
I see my future in an instant  
and there it goes  
I think I've found my best friend  
I know that it might sound more than  
a little crazy but I believe _

All the girls started swooning and sighing dreamily.

Sam made sure to pour his heart into his fingers strumming the notes and his voice singing the lyrics.

_I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life _

Rachel literally felt like he had touched the right spot in her heart to make it beat rapidly. Their happy memories started playing again right before her eyes and each image played, she felt her grin getting wider and wider.

_Ohh-o-ooh Ooh-ooh-ooohhh-oohh_

_A thousand angels dance around you _

_Ohh-o-ooh Ooh-ooh-ooohhh-oohh_

_I am complete now that I've found you _

_I knew I loved you before I met you  
I think I dreamed you into life  
I knew I loved you before I met you  
I have been waiting all my life _

He finished the song, his heart heave and tears swelling up in his eyes. He just poured everything he had into that song and he hoped she knew that. After wiping his face, he turned to her and was shocked to see her happily crying too.

The girls started clapping and whooping while the boys looked bored. "He's so charming!"

Mr. Duncan smiled. "That was absolutely marvelous, Sam."

Sam nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Duncan. Don't forget to purchase your Valentine singing-Grams, only $5 each! We'll sing _any_ song for that special boy or girl...because love lifts us up where we belong. Stay lovely everyone!"

He slung his guitar over his shoulders and left the room.

Rachel smiled, feeling as though that song out of the ones she heard so far was the one that meant the most.

**All right, so I already have the next chapter all written out and it will be put up shortly after this one. Enjoy, peeps!**


	17. The Last Memory

_**After Glee**_

Sam walked outside and found Rachel on her phone looking very concerned.

"Business dinner again? I know, it's all right. Yeah, I'm sure I can get a ride with someone. No, it's fine, I'll just heat up some leftovers again. All right, you and Daddy have fun tonight. Bye-bye."

He walked up to her. "Everything ok, Rach?"

She sighed pulled her coat tighter. "Not really. My Dads went out to dinner again so I have to find a ride home."

He pulled out his keys. "I can drive you, you just have to ask."

They stood awkwardly for a few seconds until she shivered. "Sam, can you give me a ride home?"

He smiled and jiggled the keys in front of her face. "I thought you'd never ask."

The ride home was pretty entertaining. They sang along to songs on the radio and discussed old cartoons they used to watch.

"All right, I admit it. I used to stay up late at night to watch the Powerpuff Girls. Your turn." Sam said.

Rachel giggled. "Oh fine. I used to watch Johnny Bravo."

He stared at her in shock. "Oh my god, Rachel Berry used to watch Johnny Bravo? Oh that is _rich_ blackmail material right there!"

She punched his arm. "Hey, _lots_ of girls used to watch Johnny Bravo! I should use your Powerpuff Girls obsession as blackmail!"

He pouted. "Fine. If _you_ keep my Powerpuff Girls thing a secret, then I won't tell anyone about your Johnny Bravo thing. Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

When they got to her house, she looked at him. "Do you want to come inside? It's freezing, I can make us some hot chocolate."

He smiled. "Sure, I could really use some hot chocolate right now."

When they got inside, they took off their coats and hung it on the coat rack like they did on Christmas. Had it really been _that_ long since he visited?

She pointed down the hallway to the living room. "Go ahead in the living room, I'll make the hot chocolate. I have some Scooby Doo tapes in the cabinet if you want to watch an old classic."

He tilted his head. "You watch Scooby Doo?"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly Sam, you don't think I had a normal _childhood_? Of course, I watched it every Saturday morning."

He walked over to the cabinet and was surprised to find a big stack of VHS's . "Which one do you want to watch?"

"Whichever one you want, I like all the episodes." She called from the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she emerged from the kitchen with the two cups and sat down next to him. "Here you go, nice and hot."

They watched about fifteen episodes, laughing about how cliche they were and the running gags that they never noticed before. Soon, they realized that they were sitting a _bit_ too close to each other because his arm was wrapped around her and her head was on his shoulder. But for some reason, they didn't mind.

"Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making lasagna." She asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. I have to go home and finish planning your singing-gram tomorrow."

She looked up at him. "Sam, why are you so good to me? You've done _everything_...planning my singing-grams, offering me rides home, making me a macaroni portrait for Christmas...why?"

He shrugged. "Because ever since I've been back, you just seemed so sad. I figured it was mostly my fault so this is my way of making up for it."

She leaned her head on his shoulder again. "I'm not sad because of you, Sam. I have my own reasons to be sad, but it's not you."

He lifted her chin with his finger so she was looking up at him. "I'd do _anything_ to get that smile back." He smiled at her. "I bet you can't wait to find out who your secret admirer is next week."

That statement made her sit up. "Do _you_ know who it is?"

Sam chuckled. "We've met. And he _really_ does like you. He's suave, debonair, and he's _really_ into cheesy classic romance."

Rachel made a face. "Is he rich too?"

He shrugged. "Hard to say, but this guy thinks he knows _everything_ there is to know about romance."

She crossed her arms and slouched against the couch. "He sounds like a womanizer. I don't think he's my type."

He shook his head. "Don't judge a book by his cover, Rachel. You never know...you might just like him."

Truthfully she was disappointed that it wasn't Sam because deep down, she _really_ wanted it to be. But no, this secret admirer is just a snobby, probably rich womanizer who just wasn't the one for her.

Sam looked at his watch and got off the couch. "Yikes, it's starting to get late. I'd better go."

She walked him to the door and helped him put his jacket on. He smiled at her. "If you're still lonely later on, Skype me. Mercedes and I would _love_ to keep you company."

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Good-night, Sam, and thanks for the ride."

"Are you going to sing me out like you did on Christmas?" He asked.

She shrugged. "If you want me to. You're not gonna hear much since you're just walking to your car."

He chuckled. "I'll take what I got. Start singing!"

As he started walking, she racked her brain trying to come up with a quick song that would end by the time he got to his truck.

_Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight  
Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight  
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be  
Than here in my room dreaming about you and me_

Suddenly she stopped and she felt as if her heart stopped. Those lyrics sounded _very_ familiar...but why did it strike fear when she heard herself sing it?

Sam climbed into his truck and stuck his head out the window. "Nice lyrics! See you tomorrow!"

She waved as he pulled away and drove off. Then she went back into her house to make her lasagna. After dinner, she sat on the couch and watched the videos she had on her phone.

She had _tons_ of videos on her phone. She always told her Dads not to let her change phones so that she wouldn't lose them. All her videos were pretty memorable: Blaine and Mike doing the cinnamon challenge;her and Kurt going shopping; her, Kurt and Mercedes putting on their own cooking show, etc. Then she clicked on the little folder that had the videos she exchanged with Sam over the summer before the breakup.

One by one, she watched as each message bounced back and forth between them. They would tell each other about their day, express how much he/she missed them and always ended with a song. As each message played before her eyes, she imagined feeling just as she felt whenever she received a message from him over the summer.

When she got to the last message, which was from her, she stopped. Dare she play it? She checked the date of the message...July 2. _The day before the breakup_. Without thinking, she pressed play.

There she was, sitting on her bed in her nightgown smiling, smiling like she had _no idea_ she was about to fall into a small depression the next day.

"_Hi, Sam! I had a great day today, did you? Blaine and Mike did the Cinnamon Challenge...it was funny but it took forever to clean up Blaine's kitchen! I miss you-"_

The rest of the video was just a bunch of rambling about how she missed him and such. What _really_ caught her attention was when it came down to sing the song.

She pulled up her laptop and looked straight into the camera. _"I heard this song...and it reminded me of pretty much what I do so I don't miss you as much. I miss you dearly, Sam, but this song always reminds me that even though you're far away, you're still with me. I hope you like it."_

_Late at night when all the world is sleeping  
I stay up and think of you  
And I wish on a star that somewhere you are  
Thinking of me too_

Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight  
Till tomorrow I'll be holding you tight  
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be  
Than here in my room dreaming about you and me

Again, Rachel looked at the solemn look on her face...the most comforted face not knowing what heartbreak the next day would bring.

She retrieved the shoebox with the pictures of her and Sam out of her room and looked at them over again. They looked so happy...and with everything that Sam has done up to this point, was there any reason for them _not_ to be happy together again?

_Late at night when all the world is sleeping  
I stay up and think of you  
And I still can't believe  
That you came up to me and said I love you  
I love you too!_

She closed her eyes and saw herself singing the song looking _just_ the way she did that night and Sam's arms wrapped comfortably around her. He twirled her around and they honestly looked like they didn't have a care in the world. Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm comforting arms wrap around her. She turned and saw Sam...presently as he looked _now_ holding her tightly and grinning while the past Sam and Rachel continued to twirl around and sing.

"Look how happy were were. We can _still_ be happy."

Past Rachel looked at her and finished the song, her voice softly fading as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

_Now I'm dreaming with you tonight  
Till tomorrow and for all of my life  
And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be  
Than here in my room dreaming with you endlessly  
With you tonight  
And there's nowhere in the world where I'd rather be  
Than here in my room I'll be dreaming  
With you tonight_

She awoke to Hiram shaking her awake.

"Wake up, honey, we're home. You fell asleep on the couch."

She yawned and stretched. "What time is it?"

Leroy looked at his watch. "A little after midnight, we just got home. Were you okay by yourself?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Sam gave me a ride home and stayed for a bit. I had lasagna for dinner."

Hiram smiled. "Well that was nice of him to stay with you. Go on upstairs, ducky, and we'll be right up to tuck you in."

She yawned again. "No thanks, Daddy, I'm too tired to be tucked in. Are you going out again tomorrow?"

Leroy shook his head. "Nope, it's just us three spending time together. Unless you have plans..."

She giggled. "No plans. I miss spending time with you."

Hiram kissed her head. "And we miss spending time with you too. Now off to bed."

After she went upstairs, Hiram noticed the shoebox and scattered pictures. "Leroy, come look at this please."

Leroy walked around the couch and saw the pictures. "Didn't she say Sam was over earlier?"

They looked at the pictures for a while. Finally, Hiram looked up and smiled. "Five bucks they'll be back together before Regionals."

Leroy threw his head back and laughed. "Fifty bucks they'll be back together by the end of this _month_."

**And...that's the end of the chapter! Enjoy!**


	18. Day 6: Love is No Accident

**Well, well, well. Look who came up with another chapter? ME!**

**Enjoy!**

On Saturday morning, Sam and the members of the God Squad headed to Rachel's house to perform her sixth singing-gram.

Leroy answered the door when he knocked. "Sam! Well this is a nice surprise. You guys are here a little early...what can we do for you?"

Sam noticed that Leroy wasn't exactly dressed...he was only wearing baggy, grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He rubbed his neck nervously. "Hi there, Mister Berry. I'm terribly sorry that we're here a bit early, but we wanted to deliver Rachel's sixth singing-gram today because her sixth period teacher wouldn't let us perform it on Monday and this was the only time I could gather everyone. We can come back another day if today's a bad day..."

Leroy shook his head. "No, it's fine. We just finished breakfast. Come on inside."

They all filed in in a straight line with Leroy in the lead. "Rachel, someone's here for you!"

Both Hiram and Rachel emerged from the kitchen into the foyer. Hiram was dressed exactly like Leroy and Rachel was still wearing her nightgown and a bath robe.

She squealed when she saw all of them. "Sam! Guys...what on Earth are you doing here at eight in the morning?"

Sam shrugged. "Sorry Rach, but your sixth period teacher wouldn't let us deliver your sixth singing-gram on Monday so we had to do it today. And this was the only time I could get everyone. Did we come at a bad time?"

She blushed and covered her nightgown with the robe. "No...well let me get changed first."

He smiled. "Rachel, you look _fine_. This will be real quick, I promise."

Mercedes laughed. "Honey, you and your Dads could be wearing duck suits and we'd still perform this for you. You look fine."

She shrugged. "All right then. Where do you wan to perform?"

"We need some _space_." Quinn replied.

Hiram pointed to the living room. "You can use the living room. We'll push the couch back."

As the boys went to the living room to set up, Rachel tried to make a run for the stairs so she could go upstairs and change but Mercedes and Quinn held her back.

"Really girls, I'll be real quick! It's embarrassing having people perform for me while I'm in my nightgown and a bathrobe and my hair is a mess. And you're here _really_ early too!"

Quinn sighed frustrated. "Rachel, Sam wouldn't have arranged for us to do it this early if he wasn't going to be ok with you looking like this. And believe is, this was the _only_ time this weekend he could get us all together."

When they walked back into the living room, they say that the whole room was decorated with hearts of different colors and sizes.

Joe rapped the wall with his knuckles. "No worries, Rachel. The hearts have Velcro on it so you don't have to worry about it scratching the wall."

Rachel and her Dads took a seat on the couch while everyone got into position. Sam took a note out of his pocket and handed it to her. "To Rachel...from Peter Parker."

Hiram looked confused. "There's a boy at your school named after Spider-man?"

She shook her head. "No, my secret admirer has been using fictional characters to hide himself. But Sam says he'll reveal himself after they perform my seventh singing-gram on Tuesday."

Leroy shrugged. "How odd of a person."

She opened the note and read it to herself.

_Falling in love with you was no accident._

Sam took out his guitar. "Day six." He said with a smile.

_So she said what's the problem baby  
What's the problem I don't know  
Well maybe I'm in love (love)  
Think about it every time  
I think about it  
Can't stop thinking 'bout it_

How much longer will it take to cure this  
Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)  
Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love

Come on, come on  
Turn a little faster  
Come on, come on  
The world will follow after  
Come on, come on  
Cause everybody's after love

Joe, Quinn and Mercedes took hearts off the wall and started dancing around Rachel with them. Her Dads seemed easily amused and were clapping along to the beat.

Sam smiled, glad that everyone was enjoying the performance.

_Well baby I surrender  
To the strawberry ice cream  
Never ever end of all this love  
Well I didn't mean to do it  
But there's no escaping your love_

These lines of lightning  
Mean we're never alone,  
Never alone, no, no

Come on, Come on  
Move a little closer  
Come on, Come on  
I want to hear you whisper  
Come on, Come on  
Settle down inside my love

Come on, come on  
Jump a little higher  
Come on, come on  
If you feel a little lighter  
Come on, come on  
We were once  
Upon a time in love

We're accidentally in love  
Accidentally in love 

Quinn, Joe and Mercedes then took their hearts and started circling around him as he sang the last few notes.

_I'm In Love, I'm in Love,  
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,  
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,  
Accidentally _

_I'm In Love, I'm in Love,  
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,  
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,  
Accidentally _

_I'm in love_

When he strummed that last note, everyone clapped and cheered.

Rachel giggled. "That was great, you guys! Sam, that performance was _fantastic!_"

Hiram stood up off the couch. "Since you all did a great job, I'm cooking you all breakfast. Who wants pancakes?"

That put a smile on Quinn, Joe and Mercedes' faces. "We're starving!"

When everyone headed to the kitchen, Sam slung his guitar off his shoulder and began taking down the hearts.

Rachel joined him and started taking some hearts down/ "That was a swell performance."

He smiled, "Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she shuffled her foot. "So I have one more performance?"

He nodded. "One more, but you won't get it until Tuesday which is Valentine's Day."

The continued taking down the hearts until the walls were officially clear. "So is your group performing your song on Monday?"

He packed up the hearts in his backpack. "Yeah we are, but I'm not telling you what we're singing. What are you _girls_ singing?"

She shook her head. "Ah-ah I'm not saying either. Are you doing the bonus solo?"

"Yes." He replied. "Are you?"

She decided to spice up her answer. "Maybe."

He pouted. "You're mean!"

Leroy called out to them from the kitchen. "Hey you lovebirds! Do you want some pancakes?"

Sam nodded. "Sure, thanks Mr. Berry!" Before he headed to the kitchen, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bouquet of peonies.

Her eyes widened. "Where is my secret admirer getting all these flowers?"

He shrugged. "It's not him, it's me actually. He doesn't know a thing about flowers so he asked me to pick the flowers for him. I've been getting them from the florist shop in town and the orchid and magnolia tree came from the gardening section of Home Depot. How are your other ones doing?"

She grinned. "They are well. The rose, pink daisy and carnations are in a nice vase on my window sill in my room. The orchid is still in the pot by the window in the kitchen. And my Dads and I planted the Magnolia tree in our backyard."

He rubbed his hands together. "Great! Don' forget to put the peonies in a vase too."

She nodded. "I won't. Go ahead and join everyone for breakfast while I do just that."

After he joined everyone, she ran up to her room and retrieved another glass vase. She put water in it, placed the peonies in and set it on the window sill next to the other vase. When she opened the window, she felt the refreshing but crisp cold air rush in. It was a _little_ sunny out, but for some reason she liked the cold air better.

As she stared at the flowers, she lost herself deep in thought.

_You're right, Sam. Falling in love with you **was** no accident._

**And CUT! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter won't have a singing-gram because the boys and girls will be performing their group numbers along with Sam and Rachel's bonus solo. Ciao, ladybugs!**


	19. Apologetic Love

**Hello! And welcome to part one of my musically enhanced episode. Part one will focus on the group numbers and part two will focus on Rachel and Sam's solos. **

**Each group number will be a song by my absolute _favorite_ boy-band, the Backstreet Boys.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

Today, the boys and girls of Glee Club would be performing their group numbers.

Sam and the boys would sing "Shape of My Heart" and the girls would sing "Back to Your Heart" both by the Backstreet Boys.

Coincidentally, Sam and Rachel picked the songs respectively as an apology to each other without the other one knowing.

As the boys and girls got ready in the choir room for their group numbers, Mr. Schuester walked in with a smile.

He eyed everyones' outfits. "Well don't you all look nice? Girls, are you aware that you are all wearing skirts?"

The girls looked down and at each other and gasped.

He looked over at the boys. "And boys, did you all plan to wear button down shirts or was that also a coincidence?"

The boys shrugged.

He sighed. "All right, it's fine. Since we're doing group numbers today, who wants to go first?"

Both groups stared at each other awkwardly and silently.

Mr. Schuester sighed frustrated and fished a coin out of his pocket. "Since when is this club shy on performing? Fine, we'll flip a coin. Girls, heads. Boys, tails." He threw the coin in the air and it landed on the ground with a tinkling sound on tails. "Tails. Boys, you start."

The boys shuffled to the center of the room while the girls and Mr. Schuester sat down.

Sam once again slung his guitar over his shoulder and began strumming, singing the first verse. As he sang, he kept eye contact with Rachel, pouring everything he had into the song.

_Hmm, yeah, yeah  
Baby, please try to forgive me  
Stay here don't put out the glow  
Hold me now don't bother if every minute it makes me weaker  
You can save me from the man that I've become, oh yeah_

The rest of the boys joined in singing the chorus and backup vocals.

_Lookin' back on the things I've done  
I was tryin' to be someone  
I played my part, kept you in the dark  
Now let me show you the shape of my heart_

The song had no choreography, just natural movements that captured the song quite beautifully. The girls sat in their seats grinning but Rachel's smile was the widest.

_I'm here with my confession  
Got nothing to hide no more  
I don't know where to start  
But to show you the shape of my heart_

I'm lookin' back on things I've done  
I never wanna play the same old part  
I'll keep you in the dark  
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

Lookin' back on the things I've done  
I was tryin' to be someone  
I played my part, kept you in the dark  
Now let me show you the shape of my heart

And of course, Sam sang the last line strumming the last few notes with ease and grace. Once again, he kept his gaze on Rachel who stared back at him with equal understanding and attention.

_Show you the shape of my heart_

The girls broke out into applause while the boys took their bows. Sam looked over again at Rachel and was a little surprised to see her eyes sparkle with tears. She quickly wiped them away with a handkerchief.

Mr. Schuester smiled and nodded in approval. "That was great, boys! I love how you portrayed _apologetic_ love with your song, great choice! Girls, you're up next please."

All the girls headed to the center of the room bringing their chairs with them. Since Santana was the only one out of them who could play the guitar, she slung hers over her shoulder and crossed her legs.

Rachel nodded at her to start playing and she made sure to keep sharp eye contact with Sam.

_It's not that I can't live without you  
It's just that I don't even want to try  
Every night I dream about you  
Ever since the day we said goodbye  
If I wasn't such a fool  
Right now I'd be holding you  
There's nothin' that I wouldn't do  
Baby if I only knew_

She hoped he would get the message she tried to get across since she knew he also purposely chose that song to do the same with her. She knew that everything was so complicated at the moment since he came back but after all that happened, she so wanted to forgive him and be with him again.

_The words to say  
The road to take  
To find a way back to your heart  
What can I do  
To get to you  
And find a way back to your heart_

Sam was quite surprised at their song choice. He noticed that like his song, it also portrayed apologetic love.

But why was she apologizing?

The boys sat in awe as the girls' voices blended together like a choir of perfect angels. Santana strummed her guitar flawlessly and it was amazing how relaxed they all look while singing.

_Give me one more chance, to give my love to you  
Cause no one on this earth loves you like I do  
Tell me..._

_The words to say  
The road to take  
To find a way back to your heart  
What can I do  
To get to you  
And find a way back to your heart_

_I turn back time  
To make you mine  
And find a way back to your heart  
I beg and plead  
Fall to my knees  
To find a way back to your heart _

_The words to say  
The road to take  
To find a way back to your heart  
What can I do  
To get to you  
And find a way back to your heart_

The boys politely clapped and cheered.

Sam suddenly felt his eyes prickle with tears. He wiped them immediately, but not without receiving a nudge and a smile from Puck.

Rachel looked down sheepishly. "We weren't aware of the boys song choice. It must seem strange that we picked a song that also portrayed apologetic love by the _same_ artist..."

Mr. Schuester shook his head and clapped. "Actually, I'm impressed. I was hoping you both would stray away for regular love songs and did _exactly_ what I assigned: pick a song that expresses a different kind of love. It's okay that both groups picked the same type, no biggie. You all did a _very_ good job."

The boys clapped and whooped again as the girls took their seats.

Mr. Schuester stood up and faced the class again. "We still have some time left. I think I also remember assigning an extra credit solo to anyone who wanted to sing one. Any takers?"

Both Rachel and Sam raised their hands. They looked at each other and gave each other a small smile. Santana smirked.

Mr. Schuester grinned. "Great! Anyone else?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Mr. Schue, Brittany _already_ knows I love her; I tell her every day."

He nodded and bit his lip. "All right then...I guess you two are the only solos. Who wants to go first?"

They kept gesturing to each other with their eyes to go first.

Santana sighed irritably. "Yo, Jack Dawson and female Cabbage Patch Kid! Stop undressing each other with your eyes and _one_ of you go already!"

Mr. Schuester frowned. "Come on, since when are either of you too shy to go first?"

They gulped. He sighed and held the coin out again. "Rachel; heads. Sam; tails."

He flipped the coin high in the air and it landed in front of Artie. "Tails, Mr. Schue. Sam goes first."

Sam sighed and dragged his guitar back up to the center of the room. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "This one's for all you love birds."

**All right, so let's recap. Boys sang "Shape of My Heart" and girls sang "Back to Your Heart" by the Backstreet Boys. "Shape of My Heart" is my absolute favorite. Next chapter, Sam will sing "More Than Words" by Extreme and Rachel (by my choice) will sing "This I Swear" by Nick Lachey. Ciao for now, lovelies!**


	20. All For You

**It's solo time!**

**Remember:**

**Sam's Solo: "More Than Words" by Extreme**

**Rachel's Solo: "This I Swear" by Nick Lachey.**

Sam cleared his throat. "All right, I'm ready."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Hurry up already before I hit puberty again!"

Brittany stared at her confused. "You can hit puberty more than once?"

She shook her head. "No, it was just an expression. No worries, Britt."

"Are you dedicating this song to anyone, Sam?" Mr. Schuester asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe." And with that, he began strumming again.

_Saying I love you  
Is not the words I want to hear from you  
It's not that I want you  
Not to say, but if you only knew  
How easy it would be to show me how you feel  
More than words is all you have to do to make it real  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me  
Causes I'd already know_

Mercedes who was sitting next to Rachel nudged her. "He's been practicing this song all night. He's really got it nailed for you, girl!"

However, Rachel wasn't paying attention. She was busy allowing herself to be swept away by Sam's soothing voice.

_What would you do if my heart was torn in two  
More than words to show you feel  
That your love for me is real  
What would you say if I took those words away  
Then you couldn't make things new  
Just by saying I love you_

More than words

As the song came to an end, the girls swooned.

Mr. Schuester clapped. "That was great, Sam! I liked your artist choice, Extreme is one of my favorite bands."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Thanks, I like them too. My Dad took me to one of their concerts when I was ten. I've always like their music ever since."

Mr. Schuester nodded and looked to Rachel. "You're up, Rachel."

Rachel walked over to Brad and handed him some sheet music. "Brad and I have been working on this for a while. And I'd also like to dedicate this song to all you lovers out there."

_You're there by my side  
In every way  
I know that you would not forsake me  
I give you my life  
Would not think twice  
Your love is all I need believe me _

_I may not say it quite as much as I should  
When I say I love you darling that means for good  
So open up your heart and let me in _

As she sang the song, she pictured all the happy memories she had with Sam. Honestly, she never could describe the feeling she had with him. With him she felt warm, protected, ambitious, joy...so many things that were missing when she dated Finn and Jesse.

_And I will love you 'til forever  
Until death do us part we'll be together  
So take my hand and hold on tight  
And we'll get there  
This I swear_

She looked over at Brad who gave her an encouraging smile.

Puck leaned over and whispered to Sam. "Man, your girlfriend's got it in for you."

Sam rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend, Puck."

Puck chuckled. "Fine, ex girlfriend who will become your actual girlfriend again."

_So whenever you get weary  
Just reach out for me  
I'll never let you down my love _

_And I will love you 'til forever  
Until death do us part we'll be together  
So take my hand and hold on tight  
And we'll get there  
Ohh we'll get there  
This I swear _

Everyone clapped politely. The girls whooped and the cheered.

"Wow, Rachel!" Mr. Schuester exclaimed. "I never pinned you to sing a Nick Lachey song! I'm quite impressed."

She smiled and curtsied. When she looked over at Sam, she was startled to see tears in his eyes as he clapped and cheered along with everyone else.

After Glee, she followed Brad to the auditorium for her piano lesson accompanied by Mr. Schuester himself.

"Great job today, Rachel. Both with your group number and solo."

She grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Schuester. I put a lot of hard work and effort into both of those."

He nodded and leaned against the piano. "So were those sings directed toward...Sam?"

She shrugged. "Maybe..."

He chuckled and poked her shoulder. "Come on Rach, you can tell me! I'm your friend just as much as I'm your teacher." When he noticed her blushing, he kept poking her shoulder acting like the annoying friend. Probably how Kurt would act. "Were they? Were they?"

She pushed his finger away, her face feeling flushed. "All right, you caught me. Yes, they were for Sam."

He smiled. "I knew it. So I assume you thought about the advice I gave you?"

She nodded. "Yes I did; I love him, no questions asked. And when he reveals himself to be my secret admirer after he performs my last singing-gram tomorrow, I'm going to tell him."

Mr. Schuester leaned his chin in his hand. "How do you know it's him?"

She shrugged. "I just know."

Brad cleared his throat. "Okay you two, break it up so we can start the lesson."

"What song are you teaching me today, Brad?" She asked.

He pulled out some sheet music out of his pile and handed it to Mr. Schuester. "First I thought we'd start with a warm up duet since Mr. Schuester is here."

Mr. Schuester looked at the sheet music and stuck his tongue out at Brad. "Ha ha, very funny Brad."

"What?" Rachel said leaning over to look at the sheets. "Oh Brad, _Endless Love_! Remember that, Mr. Schuester?"

He ran his hand through his hair and laughed. "Who could forget?"

She grabbed his hand. "Sing it with me again just this once? For old time's sake...please?"

He smiled. "Promise not to have another crush on me?"

She raised her right hand. "I'm devoted to Sam now. I solemnly swear."

He nodded to Brad. "All right then. Fire away, Brad."

_**Meanwhile in the Hallway**_

Sam casually strolled through the hallway, his hair still wet from showering after football practice. He knew that Rachel had her piano lesson today so he headed to the auditorium to see how it was going.

As he got nearer, he could _definitely_ hear her singing, but he also heard a strong male's voice accompanying her.

_**And your eyes  
Your eyes, your eyes  
They tell me how much you care  
Ooh yes, you will always be  
My endless love**_

That's weird, he thought as he pressed his ear to the door that led to the stage wings. Brad had never sung before...but something about that voice sounded familiar.

Very quietly, he pushed open the door and slipped into the wings. He peeked through the curtains on stage and saw Rachel singing with Mr. Schuester. He felt a _little_ jealous...but why should he? Mr. Schuester's a trustworthy person, he would _never_ fall for a student.

_Oooh, and love  
Oh, love  
I'll be that fool  
For you,  
I'm sure  
You know I don't mind  
Oh you know  
I don't mind_

What _really_ made him jealous was how both their voices seemed to blend together nicely. Then again, Rachel's voice blended perfectly with practically anyone's but he still had to keep mentally telling himself that she and Mr. Schuester would _never_ be a couple.

For a split second, Mr. Schuester caught his eye and looked slightly shocked. Sam's jaw dropped but it was too late to make a run for it without disrupting the song. He decided to wait it out instead.

_And, yes  
You'll be the only one  
'cause no one can deny  
This love I have inside  
And I'll give it all to you  
My love  
My love, my love  
My endless love_

Mr. Schuester smiled and called out into the wings. "Sam, you can come out now."

Sheepishly, he shuffled onto the stage, his face as red as a tomato.

Rachel gasped. "Sam! Were you listening the whole time?"

Sam rubbed his neck nervously. "Not really. I came by to see how the lesson was going but I didn't want to disrupt your song."

She smiled. "It's all right. How did it sound?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "It sounded pretty great."

Mr. Schuester chuckled. "It sounded pretty great being the second time we've sung it."

It got quiet for a few seconds. Rachel hopped on top of the piano and started swinging her legs.

Mr. Schuester took this as a cue to let them talk for a few minutes. "Uh Brad, can you come with me to the choir room? I want to discuss some music for Regionals."

Brad nodded. "Sure, Will."

After they left, Sam scooted a little closer to Rachel. "You did great on both your group number and solo."

She nodded and started twirling her hair. "You too with yours. I really liked the song you sang for your solo."

"You like Nick Lachey?" He asked.

She shrugged. "A few of his songs. This one just really...spoke to me."

As he stood next to her, he noticed that their hands were dangerously close. So close, that one swift move, he could easily put his hand on top of it and feel that warm, fuzzy spark they used to have.

He looked away but looked back a their hands when he felt some warm pressure on top of his. Rachel had placed her hand on top of his and was stroking it gently like she was petting a cat.

She looked down at their hands and smiled. "So I have one more tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Oh you bet you do. It's gonna be a big one."

"Can I have a hint on what song?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. No hint. I like surprising you."

She playfully pushed his shoulder. "Sam Evans, you are _mean_."

He tapped her nose. "Admit it, you love it."

They shared a laugh and scooted closer until they bumped shoulders. They looked up at each other and stared into their eyes, so lost in the moment. Their heart aches to touch each other more than just placing their hands joined.

She could see the sadness and longing in his eyes...like a child that needed someone to hold on to. It made her want to make everything okay right there and now.

But no...tomorrow she would. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day and _that's_ the perfect time to make amends. She stood up and pulled her hand away. "I'd better go find Mr. Schuester. It's getting late."

He felt an aching sensation from loss of contact. He cleared his throat. "All right, I'll walk you to the choir room then."

When they got to the door, he patted her shoulder. "Have a good night, Rachel. See you tomorrow."

As she watched him walk away, she smiled knowing that she made the right choice dating him the _first_ time.

**All right, there we go. Next chapter is Valentine's Day, the last song for Rachel's singing-grams and...a chapter ending I'm proud of. But it WON'T end there. No, my story is gonna kick ASS! Have a good night! Love, Gabby.**


	21. Find a Way Back to Your Heart

**Big chapter, everyone! The chapter you've all been waiting for!**

**Oh yes, and pay attention to the author's note at the end of the chapter. It's VERY IMPORTANT.**

**Quiet on set!**

**_I SAID QUIET!_  
First positions  
Here we go.  
Rolling  
Speed**

**Slate in.  
**

**Action!**

Today was Valentine's Day, an important day for both Rachel and Sam. For Sam, he would be performing his Valentine Singing-gram and once gain profess his love for her. For Rachel, it was the day where she apologized for being so stubborn and not forgiving him after all his attempts to apologize.

_**Rachel's room**_

Rachel woke up early and began her morning routine: wash face, early jog, brush teeth, etc.

Her wardrobe choice included a red Nanette Lepore Glamour Ponte dress **(She wore this in season 3 episode "Heart")**. She curled the ends of her hair and went light on the makeup.

As she fluffed her hair, she imagined how today was going to go. She knew that today was the last singing-gram, but how would she react? She knew perfectly well that once Sam stopped singing, all would be forgiven right then and there. No more excuses, no more running and avoiding.

You can't run from love.

When she got downstairs, her Dads smiled at her and pointed to the table. On the table where two vases, one containing a bouquet of red roses, the other one pink. There were also heart-shaped balloons tied to her chair.

She sat down as Leroy tipped some pancakes onto her plate and kissed her cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, princess."

Hiram walked over to her and placed a card in front of her. "Good morning, baby girl. You got this in the mail today from Miss Sugar Motta. She's having a Valentine's Day party at Breadstix tonight and invited you."

She examined the invitation. "But it says I have to have a date because _single people are sad_."

Leroy leaned over and read the invite with her. "It does? Don't worry, sweetums, I'm sure you'll find a date by tonight."

She sighed. "I doubt it."

Hiram patted her head. "If you don't, we can be your dates."

She smiled and hugged him. "I'd rather have you two as my dates then no date at all."

He chuckled and kisses her head. "All right, eat your breakfast and finish getting ready. I'm sure you can't wait to join in the Valentine's Day festivities."

Leroy tweaked her nose. "We'll see you after school, honey. Be good today!"

They both kissed her cheek and left for work. She smiled and continued to eat her pancakes.

_**Sam's Room**_

Sam stared in the mirror and adjusted his shirt. Yesterday, he went shopping and bought a bright red button-down shirt which he would wear with black slacks and converse. Today was the big day...he would be performing Rachel's last singing-gram. After that, the ball was in her court on whether she had officially forgiven him and will take him back or not.

There was a knock on the door and Mercedes poked her head in holding a card. "Well don't you look nice?"

He smiled. "Hey there, Mercedes. Happy Valentine's Day."

She walked in waving the card in front of his face. "Sugar's having a Valentine's Day party at Breadstix tonight."

"Really?" He took the card and examined it. "Oh, it says no singles allowed."

She swiped the card back. "But _we_ as in you and me have to go because she wants the God Squad to perform."

He turned back to the mirror and adjusted his collar. "What about Rachel? She doesn't have a date."

Mercedes glared at him. "Uh, that's why you _ask_ her to be your date. Isn't this what the singing-grams have been all about? Getting her back?"

He nodded. "Well yeah. I just sure hope today works."

She smiled. "It _will_, trust me. And if it doesn't, I'll hit hr with a bottle. Now come on downstairs for breakfast, Mom made bacon and eggs."

Her phone beeped and she whipped it out of her pocket. "Oh hey, Rachel's texting me."

He turned away from the mirror. "What does she want?"

After a few minutes of texting back and forth, she frowned. "She asked me if I got the invite to Sugar's party. She also said if she can't find a date, she's taking her Dads."

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well that's...sweet."

She pushed his shoulder. "You can't let her take her Dads! Geeze, what kind of wannabe boyfriend are you?"

He rolled his eyes. "All right, I'll ask her! Quit interrogating me."

She laughed and walked out the door. "It's my job. Now come on down for breakfast!"

_**At School**_

Once Rachel got to school, the whole school was buzzing more than normal. Everyone was excited because not only was it Valentine's Day, a day to share with loved ones, but Rachel Berry...the school's biggest nobody was receiving a whole week of singing-grams and today she would receive her last one.

Many of the girls were jealous because their own boyfriends wouldn't waste their time and money to do what her secret admirer was doing. Even the single girls were jealous because they weren't getting attention like that.

There were also people that were happy that someone other than Finn would take an interest in her. They all figured that the relationship wouldn't last very long because he was always a little slow on the uptake for her so whoever had the guts to somehow be attracted to her was pretty brave. All though the day, she got a lot of pats on the back and good luck wishes from her admirers that her secret admirer was someone decent and true instead of just a cruel joke.

The teachers also seemed to get into the Valentine's Day spirit. In her English class, Ms. Coyne let the class read the romantic and action scenes from _Romeo and Juliet_ which excited the class. In Biology class, Mr. Robinson brought in salamander hearts for the whole class to examine. He figured that specimen hearts were the closest thing related to romance and biology. In Art class, Mrs. Lawrence allowed them to paint whatever they wanted and instructed them to let their romantic juices flow onto the paper. During class, she received a good luck hug from Leanne. In Math class, her teacher let them watch _Sweet November_ because his wife loved that movie.

During lunch, she received more good luck wishes and hugs.

Sugar came up to her chewing her gum like usual all decked out in red and carrying many plush animals. "Hey there girlie!"

Rachel smiled. "Hi, Sugar! My, that's a lot of gifts."

Sugar giggled. "All these gifts are from Rory and Artie! I think they're fighting to be my date to my party tonight, but I've been getting a lot from them. I don't know who I'll pick though."

Rachel shrugged. "I'm sure whoever you pick will be a wonderful date."

Sugar poked her. "So are you coming to my party tonight?"

"Probably." Rachel replied. "I doubt I'll get a date by tonight but if I don't, I'll just bring my Dads."

Sugar grinned. "How lovely! Aren't Daddies the best? My Daddy is the one who rented out Breadstix for the night so I can have my party. But I'm sure you'll find a date by the end of the day. If you don't, then boys are such jerks."

Rachel nodded. "Thanks, Sugar. You really are sweet."

In her U.S. History class, they discussed the era of Romanticism eventually ending on the famous V-Day in Times Square Kiss photo.

When seventh period Spanish class rolled around, her excitement grew because she hoped Sam would come in and perform the singing-gram and reveal himself as her secret admirer but Mr. Schuester called her over to his desk.

"Hey Rachel, I know you were hoping to get your last singing-gram in class today but you won't be. Sorry, but I have a lesson planned. You'll receive it during Glee today." He pulled a note out of his drawer. "But here's a note for you."

She frowned disappointed and read the note.

_No cheesy line as a hint. Meet me in the auditorium during Glee and prepare to get your mind blown._

She smiled and took her seat.

Mr. Schuester stood up and walked to the front of the class. "All right, clase, I have an assignment for you. Each of you pick a partner and they have to be boy and girl. Since today's Valentine's Day, you and your partner will use your Spanish textbooks and dictionaries and write a romantic skit which will be performed at the end of the period. And keep your skits school appropriate, so no kissing or touching. Just romantic talking. Go!"

Since Rachel didn't know many of the guys in the class, she picked the random shy kid named Elliot. He was pretty good at Spanish, just not loud and obnoxious like most of the guys in class. They worked through their skit, choosing to do a cute one where they portray an elderly couple having dinner on their anniversary.

Mr. Schuester watched everyones' skits and applauded politely with a smile. "You all did a great job today! All right, I'll dismiss you guys early. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day and don't forget to show your love to everyone. See ya!"

After everyone left, he noticed that Rachel was the only one left in the classroom. He smiled and offered her his hand. "Ready to head to the auditorium?"

She nodded and took his hand. "Ready as I'll ever be."

As they walked through the hallway, they received stares and excited whispers from everyone in the hallway. Many girls gave her a thumbs up. When they got to the auditorium, the whole Glee Club was already there. Mercedes, Quinn and Joe were standing alone on the empty stage.

"Take a seat, Rachel. This is all for you." Quinn said.

Rachel took a seat in the front row while Mr. Schuester joined the rest of the Glee Club. She looked around and was confused not to see Sam anywhere. Where was he?

Mercedes smiled. "Rachel Berry, we will now reveal the mastermind behind all these singing-grams. This person literally loves you more than life itself and loves that pretty smile of yours."

"Your secret admirer is...drum roll please." Joe said suspenseful. Everyone started patting their hands on their laps in synced rhythm.

The group stepped away from each other revealing Sam who was crouching behind them. He stood up with his guitar ready in hand and a wide grin on his face. "Surprise, Rachel!"

Her face literally lit up when he spoke up. Sure, she already knew it was him all along but it was better to act like she wasn't expecting it.

Sam cued the band who began to play her most absolute favorite pop song ever.

_Beauty queen of only eighteen  
She had some trouble with herself  
He was always there to help her  
She always belonged to someone else_

I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door  
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more

_I don't mind spending every day  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain  
Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile  
And she will be loved  
And she will be loved_

As he sang, Rachel wanted to do nothing more but to run up to him and hold him tightly. Just everything about that moment made her want to cry out in happiness. She just wanted to feel his warm arms tightly around her, to kiss his juicy lips and let him make her feel whole again.

_I know where you hide alone in your car  
Know all of the things that make you who you are  
I know that goodbye means nothing at all  
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls_

Yeah

Sam saw Rachel sitting in her seat with tears in her eyes and smiled knowing that his final plan was working. He walked over and pulled up out of her seat and up on stage. She gasped in surprise as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him that their noses were almost touching. Her eyes continued to sparkle with happiness as she stared at him lovingly.

He reached up to stroke her cheek and he felt her body relax to his touch.

_Tap on my window knock on my door  
I want to make you feel beautiful_

They started swaying to the music, spinning in small circles and getting lost in the whole song until the end.

_I don't mind spending every day  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh.  
Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile  
And she will be loved  
And she will be loved  
And she will be loved  
And she will be loved_

_Please don't try so hard to say goodbye  
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

Yeah, yeah.

As the music started slowly fading, he leaned closer and started humming in her ear. Finally, he sang the last few words very softly.

_I don't mind spending every day  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

Please don't try so hard to say goodbye

The song ended and the whole auditorium sat in pin drop silence.

Rachel was so overwhelmed with emotions that that felt herself about to burst. She didn't, however, want to lose herself in front of everyone so she grabbed onto Sam's arms, averted his eyes and bit her lip as an attempt to hold herself down.

Sam looked down and noticed her trying to control herself. He understood that she couldn't express how the performance made her feel in front of everyone, so he looked up at Mr. Schuester who automatically got the message.

He nodded understandingly and stood up. "All right, everyone back to the choir room."

Everyone stood up and silently filed out of the auditorium. When they heard the door slam with a big thud, he leaned down and whispered "They're gone, Rachel. Go ahead, let it out. Whatever you're feeling, you can let it all out."

Her arms started shaking and her lip started quivering. _Quick!_ She thought. _Don't let him get away again!_

She let out a strangled sob and threw herself upon him, crying into his shirt. She wept for _everything_: for losing him once, for losing him twice, for all the missed opportunities to feel whole again.

He rubbed her back comfortingly and place a small kiss on the top of her head. "It's all right, Rachel."

She sobbed even louder and gripped his shirt. "Please don't leave me again, Sam!"

He felt so sympathetic for her in his arms. She seemed so small and defenseless, it made him want to cry too. He could feels tears forming in his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

After a few minutes of sobbing on stage, they were both finally able to calm down. The crying suddenly got quieter and quieter until you couldn't even hear anything.

She felt so safe and secure nestled safely in his arms but there was only _one_ thing left to do before anything was said and done. "Sam?"

"Hmm?" He looked down at her and wiped the remaining tears off her cheek.

She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him softly at first but then added a bit of pressure. The whole time, she felt as if the empty coldness in her body was being warmed up and lit like a lamp. He pressed her tighter to him and buried his fingers in her hair slightly combing it.

Finally they gasped for air and he chuckled. "I've been waiting for that for so long."

She stroked his cheek and smiled sadly. "Sam, I am so terribly sorry."

He stared at her in confusion. "For what?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her head down. "For being a total bitch this whole time. I don't know what I would do without you. I was so...empty this whole time you were gone. And when you came back hoping for a second chance, I pushed you away. I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "No, _I_ should be the one saying sorry. The reason why I broke up with you over the summer was because I let my friends influence me into thinking that we'd never work out but I shouldn't have. I should have _fought_ to make it work. So really it's _my_ fault. But after all I've put together for you, am I forgiven?"

She took a few shaky breaths and looked up at him again. "Yes, Sam. I forgive you. I always have."

He smiled and leaned in for another kiss. Quite honestly, he felt that no amount of fireworks could compare to the ones they were both feeling inside.

They leaned their foreheads against each other. "So...does that mean we can start over?" She asked.

He nodded. "I don't see why not. We _have_ been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. But I love you, Rachel and I'll _never_ let you down again."

She grinned. "I love you too, Sam."

They hugged again for a few minutes.

Suddenly Sam remembered something and pulled away. "Are you going to Sugar's party tonight?"

She shrugged. "Probably. I couldn't get a date so I'm probably just going to go with my Dads."

He frowned and left to go get something off stage. When he came back, he got down on one knee and presented to her a pink lily. "Rachel Berry, would you do the honor of accompanying me to Sugar's party tonight?"

She smiled, cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed him again. "Yes, I will."

He stood up, picked her up and spun her around. "Oh, I'm so happy!"

She hugged him, unable to describe how she was feeling at that moment. Sam was back in her life again but this time, she _wants_ him to be. No matter what happens, they would work it out like a real couple.

Is this what it feels like to be on Cloud Nine?

**And CUT!**

**All right, author's note time.**

**This is chapter 21, so now I put my ball in your court, dear readers. Here's why:**

**I've been working on this story for months now. The video this story is based on was just a short thing and I already covered the important parts. However, I'm torn between ending it right here or continuing. So here are your options.**

**I end it right here. Write one more chapter maybe detailing Sugar's party and go all mushy gushy about how happy they are and blah, blah, blah.**

**Or**

**Keep writing. I already have a lot more chapters sort of planned out. I was hoping to write more about their reaction to David Karofsky's suicide attempt, Regionals, Prom, Nationals, and a nice bittersweet Graduation chapter.**

**All right readers, the ball's in your court. Let me know what I should do in the reviews box. Ciao!**


	22. What a Party That Was

**Ladies and gentlemen...the votes are in. By popular demand, I will CONTINUE this story until the end!**

**Now on with the chapter!**

**Actors, PLACES!**

**First positions  
Rolling  
Speed**

**Slate in.**

**ACTION!**

At six o'clock, Sam knocked on the door of the Berry house.

Leroy answered it with a smile. "Sam! Well don't you look nice? Come on in."

He stepped inside and was led to the dining room where he saw Hiram setting up the table with candles, fine china and a beautiful centerpiece.

Hiram looked up and smiled. "Hello, Sam! We heard the big news...which is why I had to give Leroy fifty bucks because he guessed you two would be back together before the end of the month."

Leroy chuckled. "Well I let you keep five of the fifty since you also guessed that they'd be back together before Regionals."

Hiram continued to set the table. "Rachel should be down soon. She's been getting ready since she got home from school."

"Is that Sam?" She called from upstairs.

"Yes, it's Sam!" Leroy replied. "Hurry up or you'll be fashionably late."

"I like to make an entrance!" She shouted back down.

Hiram sighed and turned to Sam. "This will only take a minute."

He set the silverware down on the table and dimmed the lights while Leroy fetched a basket of rose petals from one of the kitchen cabinets. Hiram pressed the play button on the IPOD speaker stand and fancy harp music started playing.

Leroy positioned himself at the bottom of the stairs with his basket. "All right honey, come on down now."

As Rachel slowly descended down the stairs, Sam marveled as ever one of her features appeared to him one by one. First, her shoes which were white flatts. Then the skirt of her dress, her torso and finally the rest of her. She looked absolutely breathtaking in her red and white Topshop Pleated dress.

Sam grinned and whistled. "Well look at you! Let me take a good look at you." He walked over to her and spun her around.

She giggled. "You look pretty fly yourself, Evans."

Hiram pulled his his hand held camera out of his pocket. "All right kids, now pose for some pictures!"

Rachel turned so her back was pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. She smiled and leaned into his chest

After a few snaps, they headed to Sam's truck.

"Who's going?" She asked.

He tapped the steering wheel as he drove. "Well Sugar made an exception for the God Squad to come without dates since she wanted us to perform but we got dates anyway. Quinn's going with Joe, Mercedes with Artie and me with you. Blaine twisted his ankle over the weekend and needs surgery so Finn decided to go with Kurt."

She giggled. "Now _that_ will make a lovely pairing."

When they got to Breadstix, Sugar greeted them both with kisses on the cheek. "Just so you know, this party is totally unsupervised so we might pop open a bottle on wine or champagne. But that's the _only_ alcohol allowed!"

Sam then went to go join Mercedes, Quinn and Joe to help set up. It turns out they only had _one_ more singing-gram: to Brittany from Santana.

After the performance, Sam and Rachel walked around and decided to mingle. After a while, they separated around the restaurant.

Sam noticed that during the party, Finn was drinking a bit too many glasses of champagne. So many glasses that his eyes seemed to get vague and glassy. When he was chatting with Rachel and Santana, Sam noticed that Finn sort of had a strange hungry grin on his face. Eventually, he decided to lead Rachel away from him and keep an eye on her.

When Blaine made a special appearance on crutches, Kurt abandoned Finn and spent his every moment with him. That seemed to make Finn even more depressed which led to him drinking more wine and champagne.

A slow song came on and he held Rachel close, embracing the moment as they swayed to the steady beat.

"I'm so happy we're together again." She sighed.

He nodded. "I'm glad too." He suddenly eyed Finn who was downing his sixth glass of wine. "But I'm worried about Finn though. He seems to be loving that wine."

She looked over at him unconcerned. "Eh, he's just depressed that he had no one to come with. He'll be fine, Sugar can make exceptions. Don't worry about him."

However, Sam couldn't stop worrying about him. Finn watched them dance from across the room with a sulky face and it made him feel bad. He looked down at Rachel. "Hey, can you do me a favor? When the next slow song comes on, can you dance with Finn? I feel bad that he has no one to dance with and I _really_ think he should stop downing all those glasses."

Rachel nodded understandingly. "All right, I'll do it. But only for you."

True to her word, when the next slow song came on, she tugged Finn onto the dance floor. He staggered a bit and embraced her awkwardly but she put him in place.

Sam took a seat next to Sugar who was resting her feet on another chair. "Hey there, Sugar. Great party!"

She smiled. "Thanks, but all this dancing is making my feet hurt. Rory went to go get me some punch, he's such a sweetheart."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, do you have anything else planned?"

Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she started bouncing in her seat. "Oh yes! My Daddy had the _best_ karaoke machine money can buy shipped in for the party. Thanks for reminding me!"

After the song ended, Rachel patted Finn's shoulder supportingly and made her way back to Sam.

Sugar positioned herself in front of the crowd. "All right, now we're gonna put some spice in my sugar by doing some karaoke!" The staff rolled the karaoke machine and TV in. "Who's first?"

Sam poked Rachel. "Are you going to go first?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a little later. My feet hurt and my voice is strained a little from talking over the music."

Kurt and Blaine jumped up and sang _Just Can't Get Enough_ by Depeche mode and Mercedes sang _I Will Survive_ by Gloria Gaynor.

When Quinn and Joe sang _Need You Now_, Rachel excused herself to go to the bathroom. Shortly after she entered the hallway that led to the bathroom, Finn watched her go and staggered to the men's room himself.

However, Sam didn't notice. He was too busy watching Quinn and Joe's performance. After a few minutes, he started hearing arguing coming from the hallway where the bathrooms where located. The arguing got a bit louder and then there was the sound of a slap. Rachel then emerged from the hallway pouting with her arms crossed.

She sat down next to Sam and crossed her legs. He put his arm around her concerned. "Everything all right?"

She shook her head. "No, Finn's nothing but a weepy drunk moron."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened?"

"He staggered into the hallway just as I was leaving the bathroom and wouldn't let me pass. Then he started rambling about how we could have been a better couple and what you have that he doesn't and he even tried to freaking _kiss_ me. When he refused to let me out again, I slapped him."

Sam smiled. "That's my girl. Are you sure you're okay?"

Rachel nodded. "I'm fine. I won't let him ruin my Valentine's Day."

Artie and Mike came up to them worriedly. "Where's Finn? We saw him stumbling to the bathroom and debated whether or not to help him."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "He crawled into the bathroom to throw up all that wine he consumed."

Mike sighed and wheeled Artie to the bathroom to clean him up.

After everyone took a turn on the karaoke, Mike emerged from the bathroom dragging Finn while Artie wheeled behind them. Finn looked up dizzily and his speech was a little slurred. "Hey, I want a turn."

Everyone stared at him reluctantly. "Are you sure, Finn?" Sugar asked.

He limped over to her and snatched the microphone out of her hands. "Totally. I gots a _great_ song to sing. Prepare to be amazed!"

He punched in the numbers to the song and began singing a _really_ off-pitch rendition of Prince's _The Beautiful Ones._

_Baby, baby, baby  
Whats it gonna be  
Baby, baby, baby  
Is it him or is it me?  
Dont make me waste my time  
Dont make me lose my mind baby_

Baby, baby, baby  
Cant u stay with me tonight  
Oh baby, baby, baby  
Dont my kisses please u right  
You were so hard to find  
The beautiful ones, they hurt you everytime

Sam frowned and looked at Rachel. "I didn't know he watched _Purple Rain_. Should we stop him?"

Rachel shook her head and poured herself a glass of apple cider. "No way, a little self-humiliation is healthy. And everyone else seems to be enjoying it."

He looked around and was surprised to see everyone having the cameras and phones out taping him. He smiled to himself knowing that this performance was going to be _interesting. _Finn was definitely going to be regretting getting so drunk in the morning.

Finn jumped up on the table and literally started screeching and wailing. His arms started flailing wildly which made everyone laugh hysterically, even Rachel.

_Do you want him?  
Or do you want me?  
Cause I want you  
Said I want you  
Tell me, babe  
Do you want me?  
I gotta know, I gotta know  
Do you want me?  
Baby, baby, baby  
Listen to me  
I may not know where I'm going (babe)  
I said I may not know what I need  
One thing, one things for certain baby  
I know what I want, yeah  
And if it please you baby  
Please you, baby  
I'm begging down on my knees  
I want you  
Yes I do  
Baby, baby, baby, baby  
I want you_

Yes I do

After his performance, he started swaying to and fro lazily while everyone howled in the background. Suddenly, his face started turning different shades of green.

Sugar stood up horrified. "He _better_ not puke right here, right now!"

Mike, Puck and Artie, still wiping tears of laughter from their eyes, went forward and grabbed him. They forced him off the table and dragged him to the bathroom still howling.

Everyone else in the room exchanged nervous glances and then burst out laughing again.

Tina whipped out her phone and viewed the video she recorded. "I am _so_ not gonna forget this."

Mercedes leaned over her shoulder trying to stifle her giggles. "Oh my god, let this be our little secret."

Sugar picked up the microphone sheepishly and turned off the karaoke machine. "Okay, I think that's enough karaoke. We'll let Finn collect himself and then turn the music back on."

Ten minutes later, the boys emerged from the bathroom carrying Finn who was half asleep.

"I think you should take him home, Kurt. He drank enough for one night." Puck noted.

Kurt frowned and turned to Blaine who was leaning on his crutches. "I _really_ don't want to leave right now."

Suddenly, Blaine came up with an idea. He told the boys to place Finn in a booth farthest away from the party. Then he put his IPOD headphones in his hears and turned on his IPOD. He turned to Kurt with a smile. "There we go. He'll be asleep the whole time, no worries."

After a few more songs to dance to, Sugar announced that she would play one more slow song before it was time to cue to clean up staff.

Everyone decided to mix it up and switch partners. Sam danced with Brittany, Quinn danced with Rory, Joe danced with Tina, Kurt danced with Santana, and Rachel danced with Artie. Puck of course danced with all the girls he brought to be fair. Blaine sat in a booth in front of Kurt and Santana swaying while leaning on his crutches. Mike danced with Mercedes.

After the song was over, it was time to go. The boys helped lift Finn into Kurt's car while Kurt kissed Blaine good-bye before Blaine headed to Mike's car. Puck arranged for the limo that brought him and his girls to the party to bring them straight home while he rode with Finn and Kurt to help bring Finn back into the house without their parents noticing.

The girls thanked Sugar for inviting them and bid her good-bye.

The drive home was strangely silent for Sam and Rachel. They couldn't stop smiling as they held hands.

"I really can't describe how tonight went." She said, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

He smiled. "Me either. The only thing I could remember though was how I've missed holding you in my arms."

She giggled and leaned her head on his arm. "Me either...it's been so long."

He looked down at her. "Don't lean on my arm, babe, I'm driving here."

She sat up and pouted. "You're mean, Sam! For that, you don't get your good-night kiss tonight."

He chuckled. "You'll be taking that back when you get home."

When they pulled into her driveway, she unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the truck. Sam got out and smiled as he watched her walk to the door trying to pout for as long as she could.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rachel!" He called out.

She got to the front door and stopped with her back turned to him. Suddenly, she turned around and flung herself onto him. "I'm so sorry, honey."

He laughed and hugged her to him. "I knew you couldn't resist."

She took a look at his wrist watch. "Ten seconds until my Dads fling the door open. Ready for your good-night kiss?"

He smiled. "As ready as I'll ever be."

She leaned up and kissed him with all she had. And when she was kissing him, it felt like _nothing_ in the world could stop it. And she didn't want it to.

Suddenly the door burst open as Hiram and Leroy jumped out pointing flashlights at them.

"Freeze, suckers!" Hiram cried.

Sam and Rachel jumped back and gasped in shock.

Leroy chuckled. "Sorry sweetie. Your Dad has been watching too many cop TV shows again. It's time to head inside."

Hiram twirled his flashlight. "Or you can come inside and let the teenage love-making commence!"

Rachel's jaw dropped and Sam paled.

Both Dads threw their heads back and laughed. "Just kidding! There will be no teenage love-making this late at night and especially while we're home. Now kiss each other good-night and then come inside, Rachel."

They both headed inside while Rachel turned to Sam, here face turning redder by the minute. "I am _so_ sorry. That is _definitely_ not a question to be asked right when just got back together."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and chuckled softly. "It's fine, I thought it was a little funny."

She shrugged. "So...good night, Sam."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Buona notte, bella principessa."

She tilted her head in confusion. "What did you say?"

He smiled. "I said good-night, beautiful princess. It's Italian. My friend made me watch this cute Italian movie where the guy wouldn't stop saying buongiorno, principessa. It was pretty good, I'd have to show it to you sometime."

She nodded. "I'd like that. I'd better get inside now."

"You do that." He replied. "Good night, Rachel. I love you."

She blew him a kiss which he mimed catching. "I love you too, Sam."

After she went inside, he drove home knowing he'd get he best good-night sleep he'd have in a long time.

**And scene!**

**Watch _Purple Rain_, you'll understand Finn's bizarre performance. Great movie, too...if you like Prince's songs!**

**The Italian movie Sam mentioned...let's see who can guess! Put your answer in the reviews box, whoever guesses right will get an honorable mention in the next chapter...which you will _not_ receive a spoiler alert for. So get guessing!**

**Love you all, ciao!**


	23. Don't Give Up, You Are Loved

**Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together and give a round of applause for...David Karofsky! And the crowd goes wild!**

**Enjoy the chapter, my lovelies.**

**And the winner of the trivia question from last chapter is...Fanfiction user nayala! The correct answer is _La Vita e Bella_ a.k.a _Life is Beautiful_. Congratulations!**

**I'll include another trivia question at the end of the chapter.**

Sam and Rachel spent the rest of February and part of March happy as clams. They completed each other in ways they couldn't even comprehend.

Everyone also seemed to notice a change in Rachel's attitude since they got back together. She was no longer slightly bitter and in denial. She felt secure, complete and more happier than she had ever been.

However, their happiness would hit a slight bump in the road.

When the news of David Karofsky's suicide attempt broke out, McKinley High had mixed reactions. His old football buddies were a bit confused on how to react. Sure, they used to be best buddies when he went to McKinley but when he transferred schools, they sort of lost touch. They also didn't know he was a closeted gay so when they found out, they felt awkward and a bit guilty because they remembered how they made fun of Kurt. The problem with that was that even though Kurt was bullied, he still stood strong. However, David got bullied and he took a giant risk.

Kurt also seemed to be getting a lot of attention too. Nobody knew that David had a former crush on him, but Kurt was the only known openly gay guy at school before Blaine came along. Throughout the whole week, students came up to Kurt commending him for being brave throughout the bullying or crying in his face, thankful that he never thought of killing himself.

Kurt found it kind of awkward being praised for not doing what David did but he also felt guilty. It turns out that David tried to call him a few times, probably seeking some comfort, but Kurt never answered. During school, he kept a straight neutral face while politely thanking everyone for their random support but away from school, he was secretly dying inside.

Sam wasn't sure how to react either. He and David butted heads quite a bit since he first came to McKinley since David hated the Glee Club but there was something about the whole situation that refused to let him feel satisfaction. Probably because it could have been _anyone_, even Kurt. Mercedes has called an emergency God Squad meeting during lunch so they could discuss the situation.

When he got to school, he made his way to Rachel's locker. She was facing the inside of her locker, standing as still as a statue.

He frowned and put his hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up a bit. "Rach, are you okay?" When she refused to look at him, he got worried. "Baby, come on, talk to me. I'm here."

Finally, she slowly turned to look at him. Her face was slightly red and puffy and her eyes were red obviously from crying. "Hi, Sam."

He frowned. "Everything all right?"

She shook her head. "No. I just...I feel so sad after hearing what happened to David."

He pulled her to him and held her tight. "Honey, why are you so upset? He _hated_ the Glee Club."

She sniffed. "I know, I know. But it could have been _anyone_. I just feel amazingly bad because _no gay_ person, closeted or open, should have to feel worthless after being bullied. He shouldn't have had to feel that ending his life would be the only way to make people happy. It's not fair how cruel people are."

He nodded and stroked her hair. "I know honey, I know. Do your Dads know?"

"I already told them." She replied. "We had a nice cry at home and they made plans to go visit him at the hospital." She looked up at him. "And I want to, too. But can you come with me?"

He stared at her confused. "You _want _me to come?"

She nodded. "Yes. He needs to know that at least _someone_ supports him no matter what. Gosh, I can't even fathom how his parents are feeling."

He kissed her cheek and smiled. "Sure, sweetheart. You're right, he needs all the support he can get. I'll visit him with you."

She pulled a handkerchief out of her skirt pocket and dabbed her eyes. "This piece of news also taught me that life and time can stop any minute so we must enjoy every minute of it. I'm so grateful that you're back in my life, Sam."

He pushed some loose hair out of her face. "I'm glad you're back in my life, too. Now we'd better get to class, the bell's about to ring.

_**Saturday**_

Sam and Rachel pulled into the hospital parking lot anxiously. Rachel was clutching a tin container of butterscotch cookies and candy that she made since it was David's favorite flavor, thanks to some info from one of his football buddies.

"Ready to go in?" Sam asked.

She nodded. "I'm ready."

They exited the truck hand in hand and headed to the front desk.

A smiling receptionist greeted them. "Well hello! How may I help you?"

Rachel smiled back kindly. "Yes, we're here to visit David Karofsky. Can you please tell us what room he's in?"

The receptionist's smile fell and she grabbed a tissue from the tissue box sitting nearby and blew her nose. "Sixth floor, Edens Ward. Room 621." She replied tearfully.

They both thanked her and headed to the elevator. When they got to the hall, they saw a sullen faced Blaine leaning against the wall in front of the door.

Rachel let go of Sam's hand and ran up to him. "Blaine! What are you doing here?"

Blaine pointed to the door. "Kurt's visiting. Just waiting for him. Are you okay?"

She shook her head and handed the tin to Sam. Blaine walked over and took her in his arms as she cried openly. "Hey, hey...it's okay."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. _No_ one should have to feel alone and unwanted and think that ending their life will solve anything. I just wish I could have open my arms to him."

Blaine sighed. "Honey, you can't save everyone. David made his choice, there is nothing you could have said or done to stop it. It's not your fault."

She chuckled. "You're not going to go all _Good Will Hunting_ on me, are you?"

He patted her back. "No, I'm sure I only have to tell you once. And I think it's your turn, I see Kurt approaching."

The door opened and Kurt came out smiling a little. He saw Rachel and Sam and nodded to them.

"How is he, Kurt?" She asked.

He stared at them strangely. "I didn't expect _you_ two of all people to come see him."

Blaine patted his shoulder. "It's all right, Kurt, I'm sure they have their reasons. Let's go get something to eat. Go ahead in, guys."

Sam and Rachel both gulped and entered the room. The first thing they noticed about the room was that it was _very_ white. When they looked at the bed, instead of the big tough football guy that used to slushie them every day, they saw a sad broken boy.

He looked up surprised. "Evans? Berry? What are _you_ doing here?"

Rachel gave him a small smile. "Visiting you, of course. May we sit down?"

He shrugged. "You don't see a slushie in my hand, do you? Go ahead."

She pulled up two chairs for her and Sam at the edge of the bed. Then she handed him the tin of cookies. "Here, I made you some butterscotch cookies. Your old football friends said they're your favorite."

David took the bin sadly. "They don't really care, do they?"

"They're just confused, David." Sam said quickly. "They don't know how to react."

David sighed. "Of course they wouldn't care. No one does."

"That's not true, David!" Rachel said exasperated. "We care about you, we-"

He shook his head. "Don't even try to act like you care, Berry. _No one_ cares. My Mom thinks I have some weird social disease that can be cured. My Dad won't even _look_ at me...the only time he cared was when he found me just hanging there. My best friend, the one that used to slushie you guys along with me won't talk to me anymore. And now the whole school thinks I'm a big joke."

"Has anyone else come to visit you?" Sam asked.

David nodded. "You already know Kurt just came. He kind of cheered me up a bit. Santana came yesterday to slap me in the face and sob uncontrollably. I've also gotten some visitors from the LGBT community all over Lima who offered their support and condolences. Other than that, no one else. Not from my school, not any of my old football friends." He glared at them. "Why are _you_ here, though? I put you guys through so much crap these past few years, are you here to rub it in? Are you here to represent karma and get back at me?"

"David, we're not here to rub it in. We're here because we care!" Sam said firmly.

"_**NO ONE CARES**_!" David shouted.

Rachel began to whimper and her bottom lip started quivering. David's face softened and he grabbed a tissue box off his nightstand. "No, come on Rachel, don't cry. I've cried like twenty times already, and I'm gonna start if _you_ start."

He offered her a tissue and she blew her nose. "How many times have you cried?"

He shrugged. "A lot. I cried before I did it. I cried when I became conscious. I cried when the gay community came in, especially when two Dads tried to help me see the light."

"Those were my Dads." She replied quietly.

"Well now that your little magic trick failed, how do you feel? You're still standing." Sam said. "Right now, they're all probably disappointed that you didn't do them a favor. Soon, they'll probably think _hey, there's gay David. He's a tough cookie. Even though everyone wants him gone, he's still standing tall._"

"We know what it's like to be judged for who we are, David." Rachel said patting his hand. "We even wrote a song about it that gave us a win at Regionals last year." She nodded to Sam and they softly sang:

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth  
So everyone can hear  
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down  
Baby, I don't care  
Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out  
You wanna be  
You wanna be  
A loser like me  
A loser like me_

David gave them a small smile. "But what do you guys do to stay strong? Honestly, I'm so used to being the one doing the teasing but now that I'm on the other end of the string, I don't know _what_ to do."

"Do what Kurt does." Sam replied. "Roll your eyes or just ignore them. The more you show them that you don't care what they think, the less they'll bug you. And if things get worse, beat them up. You're tough, you can do it."

David looked down sadly. "I get released tomorrow. I don't know what to do when I get back to school let alone when I get home."

She leaned forward. "You _can't_ go back there, David. Come back to McKinley. You can live with me and my Dads, we are _very_ understanding people and open people."

"You need to be with people who support and love you. Sure, you've put us through hell a few times but we forgave you, David." Sam said softly.

Rachel grabbed another tissue. "We want you to know that no matter what happens, you are _loved_ David. And that even though you're slightly different and coming to terms with your sexuality, you are _no different_ from anyone else. All those people at your school are just jerks. Your parents...just need time to understand."

This time David reached for a tissue and started crying. "I think that's honestly the _best_ thing any visitors have said to me. You guys really must care."

She looked over at Sam who gave her a small smile. She turned back to David. "We...have a little song to sing for you. It might make you cry again but we really think you need to hear it."

David smiled. "Right now, I'd like to hear it."

Sam pulled his mini keyboard out of his backpack while Rachel scooted her chair closer and held David's hand.

_Don't give up  
It's just the weight of the world  
When your heart's heavy  
I...I will lift it for you_

Don't give up  
Because you want to be heard  
If silence keeps you  
I...I will break it for you

_Everybody wants to be understood  
Well I can hear you  
Everybody wants to be loved  
Don't give up  
Because you are loved_

By the time she got to the second verse, she was sitting next to him on the bed still holding his hand while he leaned his head on her shoulder.

_Don't give up  
It's just the hurt that you hide  
When you're lost inside  
I...I will be there to find you_

Don't give up  
Because you want to burn bright  
If darkness blinds you  
I...I will shine to guide you

Some of the hospital staff in the hall heard her singing so they gathered around the door to listen.

_Everybody wants to be understood  
Well I can hear you  
Everybody wants to be loved  
Don't give up  
Because you are loved  
_

_You are loved_

_Don't give up  
It's just the weight of the world  
Don't give up  
Every one needs to be heard  
You are loved _

When the song ended, he literally let loose and began sobbing into her shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried along with him and she stroked his head gently.

Sam was also moved to tears as he put his keyboard away. He looked into the hallway and saw that the hospital staff who gathered to listen were also openly crying.

After a while, everyone settled down. The hospital staff went back to work and the room got quiet again.

Rachel moved off the bed back into her seat. "How do you feel now?"

David thought for a minute. "Better. I don't feel so lost and hopeless anymore."

Sam grinned. "That's good. So what are you going to do after you get out tomorrow?"

He patted Sam's hand. "I'm taking your advice. I'm going back to school as soon as I can to show everyone that they can't knock me down. I can't go back to McKinley because I'm already halfway through my senior year and have a very good chance of getting football scholarships."

"What about your living arrangements?" Rachel asked.

He turned to her and smiled. "If my parents can't accept me for who I am, then I'll move out. I already have the LGBT community on my side, I'll be just fine. You're right, I'm no different from anyone else. But can you teach me that loser song? It's catchy and it'll help me build my self-confidence back up."

She smiled. "Yes, we certainly can. I'm sorry it took a lot of tears to make you feel better."

He shrugged. "It's fine, I'm just _really_ glad to know that two of the biggest losers I know still care about someone like me."

Sam sat at the foot of the bed next to Rachel. "We're losers together. But we're kick-ass losers!"

He placed his hand at the center of the bed. Rachel placed her hand on top and looked at David.

With a smile, David placed his hand on top of hers.

They both hugged him happily, glad that their bitter rivalry was over.

Rachel clapped her hands together. "All right, enough of this mushy-gushy stuff. We've got a kick-ass song to teach David!"

**Wow, I actually cried while typing this chapter. And I usually don't.**

**Ok, trivia question no. 2: What is the name of the gay bar that David is a regular attendee at? The answer is in the episode "The First Time", but you don't have to watch the episode itself to find that out.**

**Bonus question! Who sings "Don't Give Up (You Are Loved) a.k.a the song that Rachel sings to David in the hospital?**

**Remember, users with the correct answers get a special shout-out in the next chapter!**

**Ciao, lovelies!**


	24. Running Red Lights

**All right, I'm starting "Gabby's Corner" early today in the wake of recent news. I literally stayed up all night scouring the internet trying to find SOMETHING saying that it wasn't true but once CNN and pretty much EVERYWHERE confirmed it, I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping easy. **

**I never fully shipped Finchel as much as everyone else so any Finchel fans or partial Finchel fans...no backlash, please. I already dealt with a Klaine shipper bashing my Blainchel story for not being Klaine so back off.**

**Now, I know a lot of authors are either ending their stories, not updating for time being, writing one-shots about Cory and even dedicating their chapters to him. I for one, know that Cory would want us to continue writing. Sure, his passing is sad, but the show must go on no matter what.**

**But before we do, let's take a moment of silence and reflect on our favorite Finn moments. My favorite performances of his were "Just the Way You Are" and the "Stop! In the Name of Love" mashup. I also liked his solo in "The Scientist". I think we can all recall two chapters ago his hilarious drunk karaoke performance I just came up with off the top of my head of his really inspiring Best Man speech I wrote in "Sway With Me" or how comforting he was in "Someone Who Cares". But anyway, I will write this chapter just as I would on any regular day.**

**Cory Monteith, this one's for you!**

**The winners of the trivia questions from last chapter are...gleegirl136 and chocolateapples1432! The correct answers are: Scandals (the club that David is a regular attendee at) and Josh Groban (the singer of the song Rachel sang to David)**

**Now on with this chapter.**

**P.S This chapter will deal with Regionals and yet _another_ shocking event (that happened in the show) but I'll be mixing it up a bit since there's no Finchel wedding. Sorry, Cory.**

The Monday after Rachel and Sam visited David in the hospital, Rachel's mood seemed to brighten up by a lot.

When she got to the choir room on Monday for Glee, she was excited to update everyone on his current status.

"How's David doing?" Mr. Schuester asked.

She smiled. "He is doing quite well. He got released from the hospital yesterday and he has much better self-confidence."

Everyone smiled and clapped. "Hooray for David!"

"He also wishes us good luck at Regionals." Sam said.

"Did he go back to his school?" Tina asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, he went back to school today. With his new-found confidence, he is proud to walk the hallways not caring what other people think of him. As for the continuing threats, he ignores them without a doubt."

"What about where he's living?" Mercedes asked.

"His parents still weren't okay with him being gay so he moved out." Sam replied. "Lots of people of the LGBT community opened their homes to him so he's bouncing around until he finishes his senior year."

Mr. Schuester grinned. "All right then, very happy to hear that. Now we need to come up with out set list for Regionals since it's next week-"

"Mr. Schuester?" Rachel interrupted. "Before we do, may I suggest that we dedicate our performance to David? He's strong and confident, just like us."

Blaine nodded. "That sounds like a great idea. My fellow Warblers heard about it too so they are collecting donations at Regionals and giving them to Lady Gaga's _Born This Way _Foundation."

Sam smiled. "I think that's a great idea too, babe."

Mr. Schuester walked to the front of the class. "I like it too which gives me an idea. Since everyone's attitude is about being positive and confident and the theme this year is _Inspiration_, I have a few ideas for our set list. I'm thinking a mashup of Nicki Minaj's _Fly_ and R. Kelly's _I Believe I Can Fly_. Then the Troubletones can sing Kelly Clarkson's _What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger_ and then finish it off with Halestorm's _Here's to Us_. How does that sound?"

Everyone murmured their agreement excitedly.

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together. "Great. Now let's get started!"

After rehearsal, Finn pulled Rachel to the side while Sam went to go wait by the truck.

"Rachel, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for harassing you at Sugar's party. I shouldn't have drank so much wine. I was just depressed that I had to take Kurt as my date."

She patted his shoulder. "It's quite fine, Finn. You _were_ pretty hilarious though."

His face suddenly turned beet red. "I know...I saw Tina's video."

She giggled. "It's all right, you sure did make the party exciting. I thought it was pretty entertaining, not embarrassing. Just laugh it off with everyone else and you'll be fine."

He smiled. "Thanks, Rachel. You better head off, Sam's waiting for you."

She nodded. "I know. See you later!

_**Regionals**_

It was the day of Regionals and the competition was being held at McKinley.

The competition didn't start until five in the afternoon, but he had everyone in Glee Club be at school by at least two to run one more practice round, fix any costumes, warm up, etc.

About an hour after everyone was set to arrive, he noticed that one person was missing. "Has anyone seen Quinn?"

Everyone looked around and started chatting confused.

Santana whipped out her phone. "I'll call her. She's probably just running late."

"She better be here soon." Tina said. "The competition starts in two hours!"

Mr. Schuester put his hands up. "All right, everyone calm down. Quinn has plenty of time to arrive and then we'll have a kick-ass performance.

Another hour went by and _still _no Quinn. That started to put everyone in a bit of a panic.

_**Meanwhile**_

Quinn was driving so fast, she felt like she was in her own version of _Mario-Kart._

_**STUPID, STUPID STUPID!**_ She mentally cursed at herself. **_Quinn Fabray, how the heck do you sleep through your alarm? Stupid Mom for making me stay up all night helping her plan Aunt Didi's baby shower! And she's even stupider for leaving the house without waking me up! Oh god, everyone's gonna kill me!_**

She kept zooming, weaving in and out of the lanes, surprised that she wasn't leading a high speed police chase.

_**Come on, come on, COME ON! MOVE IT! Get off the phone, you stupid idiot, that's illegal! God, you all are so SLOW!**_

Her phone kept beeping in her purse but she was too occupied to answer it.

_**Don't answer, that's illegal. I know they'll be mad at me for over-sleeping but they'll understand as long as I get there on time**_.

Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes as right in front of her was another block of traffic.

_**DAMN IT!**_

After about twenty minutes, she slammed on the gas again and began racing like the speed of light.

Finally, she could see the school in sight. She just had to get past one more stop light that was turning yellow. That made her press all the way on the gas.

_**Stupid traffic light, I can make it. I always make it. And I'm sure running one red light can't hurt, there's no cars around**_.

The light turned red _right_ before she ran the line.

What she _didn't_ see was that _other_ speeding truck that crashed right into her from the other corner on the intersection. The last thing she felt before she was hit full impact was relief that she would make it on time.

_**CRASH**_

_**Back at McKinley**_

Everyone was on full panic mode.

Santana ran up to Mr. Schuester. "Quinn still isn't picking up her phone!"

Mercedes stuck her phone in his face. "She's not answering her texts either!"

All the panicking started to stress him out a bit. "Guys, _please_ remain calm. If she doesn't make it, I'm _sure_ she'll have a good reason. Now please stop stressing!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel pacing worriedly and approached her. "Rachel, are you alright?"

She bit her lip and faced him. "Mr. Schuester, do you think Quinn will still make it at this point?"

He sighed. "At this point, I'm not sure. Maybe something came up. But whatever we do, we _have_ to stay calm and positive or else the performance will be a mess."

She nodded. "I'll try, I'll really try."

He patted her shoulder. "Great, that's what I like to hear."

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 2012 Show Choir Midwest Regional Championships!"_The announcer said to the audience.

All the girls squeaked and started hyperventilating.

Mr. Schuester rubbed his face with his hands. "We _have_ to stay positive. Santana, keep trying to call her until we go on." She nodded and ran off. "Finn, I don't think she'll make it in time so we'll have to replace her with one of the guys from the backup band. Use Ryan, he was the best one at Sectionals." Finn nodded and scurried off. He turned to everyone else. "Everyone else...take a deep breath. Now right now, we need to shift our focus on the performance. Don't worry about Quinn, I'm sure she'll be _fine_. Just focus on the songs and choreography and you'll do great. Mike, lead them through a quick run-through. When you're done, gather in the choir room for a quick warm up."

After Mr. Schuester walked off, Rachel started pacing again.

Sam approached her. "Rachel, honey, you need to calm down."

She turned to him. "Don't tell me to calm down, Sam. Because I _won't_!" She snapped. "What if something happened to her?"

Sam grabbed Finn who was passing by. "Finn, help me calm her down. She's freaking out!"

Finn grabbed her by the shoulders. "Rachel, look at me. No matter what happens, with or without Quinn, the show must go on. You're gonna sing your amazing solo and we're gonna get through this. Maybe something came up but I'm sure she'll have a good reason for missing. After this is all over, we'll look for her, okay? But right now, focus on the performance. This performance will determine if we go to _Nationals!"_

She looked up at him and he felt her relax. "All right Finn, you're right. I'm sure she's just fine."

He smiled. "Great. Now let's get to the choir room for one last rehearsal."

The Warblers went first and Blaine was excused from rehearsal to watch them.

After the next few groups went, everyone gathered near Mr. Schuester.

However, Rachel was surprised to see Hiram standing with him, a serious look on his face. "Daddy! Where's Dad? Why aren't you in the audience, where about to go on!"

Hiram gave her a sad smile. "Hi, baby girl. Hey, everyone. I just need a moment to talk with Mr. Schuester."

Rachel frowned. "But you'll miss the performance!"

Hiram shook his head. "We can see and hear you from here, sweetheart. Just get ready to go on."

Suddenly she started feeling worried. "Is this about Quinn? Do you know where she is?"

Mr. Schuester grabbed her shoulders. "Rachel, everything will be fine. Now go, you guys are about to go on. Let me speak with your father."

She turned to Hiram. "No, Dad, is this about Quinn? Tell me!"

Hiram sighed. "Rachel Barbara Berry, do not delay your group. Get ready to go on and let me speak with Mr. Schuester."

She clenched her teeth. "I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on!"

"Sam!" Mr. Schuester called over. "Get her ready to go on stage. I need a moment alone with Mr. Berry."

Both Finn and Sam grabbed her arms and dragged her to her position behind the curtain while she protested "No! Why are they talking! Let go of me!"

"We're doing this for David, remember?" Sam asked. "He's sitting in the audience waiting for us, don't let him down."

"_Please put your hands together for McKinley High School's...The New Directions!"_

The curtain rose and the first thing Rachel saw was David smiling in the audience. Suddenly, she felt all her worries melt away as she decided to bring out the inspiration and confidence of the songs.

_I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive  
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise_

_To fly, to fly_

_Oh yo, yo_

_I used to think that I could not go on_

_I wish today it will rain all day  
Maybe that will kinda make the pain go away_

_And life was nothing but an awful song_

_They got their guns out aiming at me  
But I become Neo when they aiming at me_

_If I can see it_

_Me, me, me against them  
Me against enemies, me against friends  
( Then I can do it)  
Somehow they both seem to become one  
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood  
( If I just believe it)  
They start coming and I start rising  
Must be surprising, I'm just surmising  
(There's nothing to it)_

_I win, thrive, soar, higher, higher, higher  
More fire  
_  
_I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive  
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise_

_I believe I can fly  
( Fly)  
I believe I can touch the sky  
I believe I can fly  
(Fly)  
I believe I can touch the sky_

_See I was on the verge of breakin' down_

_Paint they own pictures, then they crop me in  
But I will remain where the top begins_

_Sometimes silence can seem so loud_

_I am not a word, I am not a line  
I am not a girl that can ever be defined_

_If I can see it_

_I hear the criticism loud and clear  
That is how I know that the time is near  
( Then I can do it)  
See we become alive in a time of fear  
And I ain't got no time to spare  
( If I just believe it)  
Cry my eyes out for days upon days  
Such a heavy burden placed upon me  
( There's nothing to it)_

_But when you go hard your nay's become yea's  
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's_

_I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive  
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise  
_  
_I believe I can fly  
( Fly)  
I believe I can touch the sky  
( Ooh)  
I believe I can fly  
( Fly)  
I believe I can touch the sky  
( Touch the sky)_

_I believe I can fly_

_Get ready for it, get ready for it_

_Then I can be it  
(Get ready for it, I came to win)  
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it  
(Get ready for it, get ready for it, get ready for it)_

_Get ready for it!  
Yeah!_  
_  
I believe I can fly  
( Fly)_  
_I believe I can touch the sky  
( Sky)  
__I think about it  
( Fly)  
Every night and day  
Spread my wings and fly away  
( Ooh)_

_I believe I can soar  
( Fly)  
( Get ready for it)  
I see me runnin' through that open door  
( Get ready for it)  
( Fly)  
I believe I can fly  
( Fly)  
( Get ready for it)_

_I believe I can fly _

The crowd was silent for a moment and then broke out in full applause. David gave them a standing ovation with tears in his eyes.

Afterwards, they made it through their next two songs flawlessly.

When they were finished, hey all took a bow and ran back stage, Rachel in the lead.

She looked around but couldn't find Mr. Schuester or her Dad anywhere. "Where's my Dad? Where's Mr. Schuester?" She asked frantically.

Sam ran up to her and grabbed her arm again. "I don't know, but we need to get back on stage so they can announce the winner."

She tried to yank her arm free but Sam was too strong. "Sam, I don't _care_ if we win or lose. I want my Dad!"

"You'll see your Dad afterwards, now come on!"

They both joined the rest of the Glee Club and all the other Glee Clubs that performed on stage while the announcer was handed the winning envelope from the judges.

"In second place...the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

Everyone clapped politely. Kurt and Blaine ran over to them and congratulated them excitedly.

"And the winner of the 2012 Show Choir Midwest Regional Championships is...McKinley High's own New Directions!"

Everyone jumped up and cheered as the crowd went wild.

Rachel didn't feel like celebrating though. Her thoughts drifted back to her Dads and Mr. Schuester and what they could possibly be talking about.

Finally, they both appeared looking very concerned.

She gave them a small smile. "We won."

Mr. Schuester nodded. "Gather everyone up, we have bad news."

Suddenly, everyone appeared behind her chatting excitedly

Hiram waved his hands to get their attention. "Everyone, listen up!"

When everyone stopped chatting, he and Mr. Schuester exchanged nervous glances.

Mr. Schuester folded his hands together. "We have some news about the whereabouts of Quinn. Apparently she was in a terrible car accident on the way here."

Everyone's eyes widened and Rachel felt her chest tighten. Sam grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

Hiram sighed. "She must have been running late so she was speeding to the school and ran a red light. Another truck that was coming out from the other side crashed into her."

All the girls gasped.

"How do you know?" Mike inquired.

"Rachel's other Dad saw it. He was the one who called 911, fished her out of the wreck and rode with her to the hospital." Hiram replied.

Puck frowned. "Well let's go right now!"

"No, Noah." Hiram said firmly. "Leroy just texted me saying that even though she got a few scrapes and bruises, she's temporarily lost all the feeling in her legs and doesn't want anyone to see her until she returns to school in a few weeks. So you will all respect her wishes and not visit her in the hospital."

Rachel felt her lip quiver as silent tears started streaming down her face.

"Well what do we do now?" Finn asked.

"If you guys still want to go out and celebrate, then celebrate. Quinn may not be here but you guys _still_ deserve a reward for winning tonight." Mr. Schuester said.

Hiram turned to Rachel. "Honey, do you want me to take you home? Because if not, then I'm going back to the hospital with your Dad."

She shook her head. "I don't want to go out and celebrate. I want to go home."

"I'm coming with you." Sam replied.

Hiram nodded. "Very well. Say your god-byes and we'll go home."

Sam walked over to Mercedes. "Tell your Mom I'm sleeping over. I know for sure Rachel's gonna want me to."

She nodded. "I'll tell her. You go on ahead."

After they left, the remaining members stood there awkwardly. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Rory sighed. "I really don't feel like celebrating right now."

Suddenly, Sebastian of the Warblers approached them with the rest of his team. "Congratulations, New Directions!" He frowned when he saw then not looking happy. "Why the long faces? You should be happy you won!"

"One of our members couldn't make it because she got into a car crash on the way here, Sebastian." Blaine said.

Sebastian's eyes widened. "Oh, how awful! You all must feel terrible. Well you can't just stand here feeling guilty."

"We don't feel like celebrating." Kurt replied bitterly.

Sebastian snapped his fingers. "I've thought of just the trick. We're treating you all for ice cream. It'll be both a celebration _and_ a cheer up remedy!"

Everyone looked at each other reluctantly.

Finn sighed. "I guess we can. Mr. Schuester _did_ say we deserve at least _some_ reward for winning tonight. I'm sure Quinn would want us to celebrate too."

Sebastian smiled. "That's the spirit! Meet us at Bananarama's Ice Cream Parlor down the street and we'll be sure to make the night a little lighter. Come along now."

Everyone slowly filed out of the school, hopeful that some ice cream could cheer them up just a little.

**And that's that. Everyone please enjoy the chapter. Thank you.**


	25. Make the Pain Go Away

**This is just a short aftermath chapter I decided to add on. And I forgot to post a trivia question last chapter so here it is:**

**In the episode "On My Way", what song was playing while Finn and Rachel were waiting for Quinn at the wedding and Quinn texted _On My Way_ and got hit by the truck?**

**Bonus Question: What two songs did the Warblers perform for Regionals in that same episode?**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

Once Rachel, Sam and Hiram got home, she immediately sat on the couch silently weeping. Sam sat by her side holding her hand and rubbing her back.

Hiram tried to make light of the situation. "Ok, Dad is on his way back from the hospital. He's picking up sandwiches and a salad for dinner. Is that okay, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Thank you."

Rachel bit her lip. "I'm not eating."

"Honey, you're already going to dehydrate yourself from crying. You need to eat." Hiram said.

She shook her head. "Daddy, all this crying is making me lose my appetite. I can't eat!"

He sighed. "Fine, we'll put it away in case you get hungry later. Why don't you turn on the TV or something while we wait for Dad? I'll go set up the guest room for Sam." He disappeared upstairs.

Sam grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. After flipping through the channels for a while, he finally settled on _Avatar_, his favorite movie of all time.

When Rachel laid her head down on his lap, he stroked her hair gently. "You _do_ know it's not your fault, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "_Yes_ Sam, I'm aware. I just can't believe all these bad things are happening: first David tries to commit suicide and then Quinn gets into a car crash. They haven't done anything wrong, so why are they being punished?"

He shrugged. "They're not being punished. These things just happen and we can't always control it. Life is tricky, but you just have to roll with the punches."

She sighed. "I'm so lucky to have you here, Sam. You're pretty much all I have."

He shook his head. "No, don't say that. You don't just have me. You have both your Dads who love you very much. You have your two best friends in the whole wide world, Kurt and Blaine. You have the whole Glee Club beside you even when they think you're wrong. You have Mr. Schuester who cares about each and every one of us like we're his own kids. So you're not alone."

She nodded. "You're right, I'm just being silly."

He pushed some loose hair out of her face. "You're just tired. Go ahead and sleep, I'll wake you up when your Dad gets home."

She nodded and instantly fell asleep. He continued to watch the movie until he himself started to doze off. He jumped with a start when he heard the front door close.

Leroy walked in taking off his jacket and smiled. "Oh hi, Sam! Are you staying the night?"

Sam shrugged. "Hello, sir. I think I am, if that's okay."

Leroy nodded. "Of course it's fine. Our little rosebud must have had a hard time after she heard. But I heard you guys won again, congratulations!"

Sam nodded. "Thank you. How's Quinn doing?"

Leroy stopped in his tracks and rubbed his neck nervously. "Well for the most part, she's fine. Alive, that's for sure. She got a few bumps and bruises but the _worse_ part is that when she woke up, she couldn't feel anything below her waist. The doctors examined her and said that the damage wasn't _too_ bad like Artie's so her paralysis is only temporary. She'll have to use a wheelchair for a few months and do physical therapy."

Sam sighed with relief. "Ouch, that sucks. But she's okay, that's the important thing. Should I wake Rachel up and tell her?"

Leroy set his bag of sandwiches and the salad on the table. "Is she hungry?"

Sam shook his head. "Not really. All that crying costed her appetite."

Leroy shrugged. "Oh well, she'll probably be hungry later. Here's your sandwich."

Sam took the sandwich graciously without waking Rachel up. "Thank you, sir."

Leroy walked over and scooped Rachel up off Sam's lap. "Here, I'll take her to bed. She's had a long day. You go on ahead and eat your sandwich."

When he disappeared upstairs, Hiram came downstairs. "Was that Leroy?"

Sam nodded. "Yup, he just went upstairs to put Rachel to bed."

Finally, Leroy came downstairs and joined them. He kissed Hiram's cheek hello. "I brought you a sandwich, dear."

Hiram nodded. "I know, thank you. Sam will be staying the night, I already set up the guest room."

Leroy looked at Sam. "It's so nice of you to be there for our daughter."

Sam smiled. "Of course, sir. I love her, that's all that matters."

"Any news about Quinn?" Hiram asked.

Leroy sighed. "She'll definitely be confined to a wheelchair for a few weeks. Fortunately she was wearing her seatbelt so she wasn't hurt that bad."

"Is she awake?" Sam asked.

Leroy nodded. "Yup, but she's feeling _really_ guilty for speeding and her Mom's feeling guilty for keeping her up all night and not waking her up before leaving the house.

_**Meanwhile**_

Rachel woke in her bed feeling very dizzy and hungry. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep with her head in Sam's lap while he stroked her hair so someone must have moved her.

She heard voices downstairs so she assumed her Dad was home already with the sandwiches and salad so she slowly crept out of her room. When she reached the top of the stairs, she listened to their conversation and contemplated going down.

"She doesn't want to be visited" Leroy said. "She doesn't think she can handle everyone coming in one by one and crying in her face. She wants the alone strength to get out of that hospital bed. Do you think you and Rachel can respect her wishes?"

"I believe I can convince her." Sam replied. "The good part is that she's _alive_."

Her stomach grumbled once again so she had no choice but to go downstairs to accept her salad. When she got downstairs, everyone looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

"Howdy, darling." Leroy said. "Are you okay?"

She nodded numbly. "I'm fine. I'm kind of hungry."

Hiram took her salad out of the paper bag. "Here's your salad, sweetie. Come on and eat."

She slowly made her way to the table and sat down. "I'm going to eat and then I'm going to take a bath and go to bed."

Leroy nodded. "All right, honey. You've had a long, rough night. Sam, you may shower too if you like. The guest bathroom is right next to the guest room. We'll find you something to sleep in."

Sam smiled. "Thank you, sirs."

Leroy patted his shoulder. "Of course. I doubt you'd want to sleep in one of Rachel's pink fluffy nightgowns!"

Sam sheepishly took a sip of water. "Actually, I _have_ slept in a nightgown before."

They both stared at him oddly. "Really?"

He nodded. "My Mom's the one that does the laundry in our house. One day, she decided to to all the boys' clothing in one day but forgot to leave my Dad, my brother and me something to sleep in. Of course, we weren't allowed to sleep naked so after digging around, we eventually settled on sleeping in the girls nightgowns. It was actually pretty comfy."

Leroy and Hiram exchanged glances before bursting out laughing.

"Sam, as much as we'd _love_ to see you squeeze into a dainty nightgown, we'll get you some men's sleepwear." Leroy said.

"I think I have some old gym clothes that are too small for me in the closet. Don't worry Sam, they're clean." Hiram declared.

They disappeared once again upstairs to fetch the clothes.

Rachel looked at the clock. "Wow, only ten o' clock? It's still pretty early."

Sam nodded. "How are you feeling?"

She picked at her salad. "Still a little shocked. Pretty numb, mostly."

He bit his lip. "You're going to finish that salad. I don't care if you've lost your appetite. You're finishing it even if I have to feed you."

She scooted her chair closer. "Fine then, feed me. It'll turn our romance up a bit."

He smiled mischievously and patted his lap. She got off her chair and sat sideways on his lap. He picked up her fork. "All right then. Open up."

She licked her lips irresistibly and opened her mouth as he slowly inserted the fork in and she bit down.

"Aw!" Two voices suddenly said behind them making them jump. They turned and saw Hiram and Leroy with Sam's sleepwear.

"Isn't that nice, Hiram? He's feeding her!" Leroy exclaimed.

Hiram smiled and set the clothes down on the couch. "Here's your clothes, Sam. Rachel, don't forget to take off your Regionals dress so I can clean it. We're off to bed now."

Leroy walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "Get some rest, honey. See you in the morning."

After they went upstairs, Rachel finished her salad while Sam went back to the couch to watch TV. When she finished, she walked over to him. "I'm going to go take a bath. You're free to shower in the guest bathroom if you like and change."

He nodded and picked up the clothes Hiram left him. "I think I will. Thanks."

She smiled. "I'll see you in a little bit."

_**20 Minutes Later**_

After Rachel's bath and Sam's shower, they met each other downstairs.

Sam couldn't help but stare at Rachel's pink lacy nightgown. "Wow, you look lovely."

She smiled and eyed his clothes. "And you look pretty snug in Daddy's clothes too."

He shrugged. "They are pretty cozy. I imagine much cozier than if I had to sleep in one of your nightgowns."

She nodded and headed to the kitchen. "I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Would you like some?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I've never really been into tea. Do you have any hot cocoa though?"

She reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a box of cocoa mix. "You're in luck, we do."

When the tea and cocoa were made, they snuggled cozy together on the couch. However, Sam sensed that Rachel was giving off that weird _I feel like crap but I don't want to talk about it _vibe. "What's the matter? Are you still upset about Quinn?"

She nodded. "Kind of. I mean, I know that I didn't cause her to crash but I just still can't believe all these bad things are happening. I mean...what if one of us is next?"

He looked down at her. "Hey, look at me." When she did, he tipped her chin up with his finger, leaned down and planted a soft kiss. "_Nothing_ is going to happen to us. Wanna know why? Because I won't let it. Wanna know why? Because I don't know what I'd do without you."

She snuggled his arm. "Thank you, Sam."

They watched a movie or two until they decided to head to bed.

She took his hand as they walked down the hall. "I'll walk you to your room. Wouldn't want the Goblin King to snatch you away from me."

He looked at her funny. "Goblin King?"

She giggled. "Oh, you haven't seen the movie _Labyrinth_, it's one of my favorites. I'll show it to you sometime."

When they got to the guest room, they faced each other and joined hands.

"I would very much like to sleep in here with you but I don't think my Dads would approve too early in the relationship." She said.

He nodded. "I understand. Well I'll see you in the morning, sweet princess."

She smiled. "As to you, sweet prince. But before I go, can I have one more good-night kiss to take with me?"

He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him so close, their noses were touching. He pressed his lips to hers in a way that was just so utterly perfect. She felt the butterflies in her stomach spring to life and start fluttering all over again. Her mind expanded like a freaking rainbow! **(I'm just guessing at these feelings. I've never been kissed so I really don't know what it feels like. I know, I'm pathetic)**

When he pulled back, he grinned. "I'd personally consider that kiss the best one."

She playfully pushed her shoulder. "There will be more to come, I'm sure of it."

He stroked her cheek. "I know. Now you better get to bed before your Dads think we're fooling around."

She sighed. "Fine. See you in the morning."

When she got to her room, she looked at him across the hall and blew him a kiss. He caught it and placed it on his cheek with a smile.

Once in her room, she pounced on her bed and sighed.

However, she knew that she wouldn't be sleeping easy. "Sure, she was glad that Sam would do or say anything to keep her mind calm but she still couldn't rid herself of the shocking guilt knowing that Quinn might become another Artie.

**-Sigh- I know that this chapter really isn't my best work but I just wanted to add a little something cute. Anyway, please review and answer the trivia question. Hopefully many of you readers haven't disappeared as a tribute to Cory...I'm sure he'd want us to continue reading, writing and of course reviewing. So I'll see what I get. Ta-ta, lovelies!**


	26. Never Let Me Go

**Just a quick shortie cute chapter. Gosh, I really should get to bed...**

**The winners of last chapter's trivia questions are: chocolateapples1432 and gleegirl316! Congratulations again, folks!**

**I was really a bit disappointed that no one knew the answer to the first question. The song that played while everyone waited for Quinn at the wedding was _Chapel of Love _by the Dixie Cups, but I'm guessing not a lot of people know that song so it's all right.**

**The answer to the next question that 2 people got right was _Glad You Came_ by The Wanted and _Stand_ by Lenny Kravitz.**

**Here is the next trivia question. **

**What song does the Glee Club sing while they are at Six Flags for Senior Skip Day (Artie and Quinn are at the skate park)?**

**Bonus Question: List all the songs that Blaine sings in the episode "Big Brother". He sings a mashup, a solo and a duet.**

All night Rachel tossed and turned in her bed. She knew that she should feel safe and secure because her Dads were in their room nearby and Sam was in the guest room down the hall but for some reason, she _just_ couldn't sleep.

Even though everyone told her it wasn't her fault, she still felt an ounce of guilt whenever her mind drifted back to the news of Quinn's car crash. And Quinn was never really patient so obviously she'd hold a grudge against her when she came back to school. During the night, she strained her brain _really_ hard to find if it was something she said, did or wished that _might_ have been a part of causing the accident.

Suddenly, she remembered cornering Quinn after their last rehearsal the day before.

"_Quinn, I know that you've turned over a new leaf a few times but in time to help us at Sectionals and all but I would **really** appreciate it if you didn't skip this competition."_

Quinn stared at her quizzically. _"Rachel, I've gone to __**every**__ competition. Why would I skip this one?"_

"_Well because you sort of known to be very unpredictable at times. And Sam's not here to convince you otherwise so it's just me. Remember, this competition determines if we go to __**Nationals**__. But could you do me a favor and make sure you make it for __**me?**__"_

_Quinn sighed frustrated. "Yeah, sure...I wouldn't want to jeopardize your spotlight. Geeze Rachel, I thought __**you**__ of all people would have turned over a new leaf."_

She tossed and turned some more until it _finally _hit her on why she was still feeling guilty.

Right before they were about to go on, she called Quinn's cell. When she didn't pick up, she left a tearful but angry voicemail that she wished she could take back so much.

"_Hey Quinn, it's Rachel. We're about to go on literally like right now. I'm so freaking angry with you! You went all AWOL on us throwing us all into a panic, even Mr. Schuester was stressed! I hope you're happy missing this because we had to replace you with one of the guys from the Jazz band who can barely even sing. I warned you, Quinn. I **warned** you not to miss this! I know you did this on purpose, to sabotage our near perfect performance! You know what, I don't even care **where** you are right now, you can go crash your car in a ditch for all I care! And if you **are** on your way here, don't even bother trying to explain to me why you're late because I'm still too steamed to even keep my freaking mind on you. And I think it'll be a while before I acknowledge you again. So have a nice day, Miss Fabray!"_

Then she imagined Quinn driving like a maniac trying to get to the school, running the red light and the look in her eyes right before the truck crashed into her.

She could just imagine how Quinn must have felt when she was finally able to read her texts and hear her worried voicemails...if her phone survived the wreck. When she awoke in the hospital and received all her bad news, her Mother would hand her the cell phone and she reads and listens as her heart breaks each time. When she got to Rachel's voicemail, she would sink deeper into her depression. Once the voicemail finished, so was Rachel. Rachel was _officially_ back on her not-so-favorite-people list and forever will be. Rachel would be dead meat. Rachel would be...

Then she imagined how things would go when everyone got back to school. She'd see Quinn who would shoot her the most vicious glare anyone could shoot her. As would everyone else in the whole school. Of course, Sam would be the only one trying to stand by her but eventually would have pity and leave her for Quinn. She could just see him slipping away...

She stuck her arms out trying to grasp them as she kept screaming _"I'm sorry, Quinn! I'm sorry!"_

She suddenly felt herself being shaken violently while she still screamed. Then she started hearing a mix of Sam's voice and her two Dads voices.

"Rachel honey, wake up!"

"Rachel, you're having a nightmare! Wake up!"

"Come on, sweetie, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and flew forward, hoping to fly into the arms of the one she wants the most. Not Hiram's skinny arms that remind her of a giant teddy bear. Not Leroy's firm arms that have been working out a lot. She hoped to fly into the arms of the one person she's always yearned for. The arms she wished could hold her all summer but was missing. The arms she wished would hold her even after she refused his advances.

And she did. She felt Sam's arms wrapped around her comfortingly. The part that comforted her was that he was really _there_. She could feel him, see him, smell him. The whole thought just made her want to cry...which she did. She grabbed his shirt and proceeded to soak it with warm tears. "Sam, please don't leave me! I lost you once, I almost lost you again...I can't lose you anymore!"

Hiram sighed. "Sam, can you stay here real quick while we fetch her a glass of water?"

Sam nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

After they left, he held her tighter. "Shhh, I'm not going anywhere."

She sniffed. "Just hold me, Sam because I'm so afraid that if we let go, you'll disappear forever."

He started rocking her back and forth. "I'm not going to disappear. No one is going to leave you. What was your dream about?"

Hiram and Leroy returned with three glasses of water and set them down on her nightstand.

"Here honey, let go of Sam and sit up so you can drink your water." Hiram said.

Sam's arms went limp but that caused her to cling on tighter.

Leroy sighed and pried her off him. "Sit up, Rachel and drink your water before you get dehydrated again."

She sat up and gulped down all three glasses until she calmed down a bit. True, the crying wore her out even more and once again she felt numb.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hiram asked.

She shook her head. "Can I have a minute alone with Sam? It's about him."

They both nodded and left the room.

Sam stroked her hair with his hand. "All right, now what's wrong? What were you dreaming about?"

She took his hand shakily and held it tightly. "I dreamed that when we got back to school, everyone was against me and rooted for Quinn. And you tried to be supportive of me but pitied Quinn and forsook me. Right before I woke up, everyone just started getting farther and farther and the more I reached out to grab you, the farther you got. Then I woke up."

His jaw dropped in shock as he pulled her to him again. "You won't lose me, I promise you."

She fished a handkerchief out of one of the drawers and dabbed her face. "It's easier said than done, Sam. And I'm sure it will happen."

Sam rubbed his face with his hands. "Rachel, I already lost you once and worked my butt off to get you back. Do you _really_ think I'm gonna let anyone take me away from you again? Do you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, Sam. I know that it was just a bad dream and all but I can't help but feel that another bad thing will happen and you'll be gone again."

He nodded. "I'm sure we'll be just fine. And Quinn won't harbor any hard feelings against anyone when she gets back, she'll be more determined to get out of her wheelchair. But we can't go to pieces when we see her, we have to be strong."

She sighed. "I know, you're right. I'm just working myself up too much..."

He patted the bed. "Come back to bed now, let's go to sleep."

She walked over to the bed and laid on her stomach. "What a day."

He pulled the blanket over her and started rubbing her back. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

After a while, he still sensed that she was awake so he started to sing softly.

_Saying I love you  
Is not the words I want to hear from you  
It's not that I want you  
Not to say, but if you only knew  
How easy it would be to show me how you feel  
More than words is all you have to do to make it real  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me  
Cause I'd already know_

She turned over and patted the spot next to her.

He crawled in next to her and pulled her to him while she snuggled closer like he was a giant teddy bear. Feeling his arms around her made her feel secure and hopeful. Just the way he held her was able to assuage her fears. Like a confirmation that he was her to stay, definitely.

_What would you do if my heart was torn in two  
More than words to show you feel  
That your love for me is real  
What would you say if I took those words away  
Then you couldn't make things new  
Just by saying I love you_

He placed a soft but tender kiss on her cheek before singing the last few words and falling asleep peacefully.

_More than words _

**And BOOM goes the dynamite. Enjoy!**

**Next chapter will focus on Quinn coming back to school. It will have a few bits and pieces from the episode "Big Brother" but I will be eliminating the Blaine/Cooper storyline and Sue's baby plot.**

**Adieu, everyone!**


	27. I'm Still Standing

**Welcome back, Gabby! Thank you for your patience. School's starting soon which means I'll have time to exercise my writing for both my stories and my Introduction to Literature class. Whoo!**

**Big shout out to the winners of last chapter's trivia question: gleegirl3161 and RHatch89! Congratulations!**

**The answers were: Up, Up, Up (the song they sang at Six Flags) and the songs that Blaine sang were Hungry Like the Wolf/Rio (mashup), Fighter (solo), and Somebody that I Used to Know (duet)**

**The next question will be posted at the end of the chapter.**

**Now let's get it started!**

Two weeks after the news of Quinn's accident came out, Artie announced that she was ready to return to school. He advised everyone to help her out as much as they could but to still treat her as if she was a normal person.

Rachel dreaded going back to school. She was afraid that Quinn would be harboring hard feelings for her since that angry voicemail was the last thing left on Quinn's phone before the crash. After a bit of pushing, Hiram, Leroy and Sam were _finally _able to convince her to face her fear and go back to school.

The day Quinn was due to return, Sam held her hand tightly as they entered the school. Everyone in the hall was buzzing about Quinn coming back. Rachel strained her ears to see if her name came up but no one said a word about her.

The rest of the day went by so fast, she could barely comprehend it. Whenever she transitioned from class to class, she looked around to catch her first glimpse of Quinn in a wheelchair but no luck. At lunch, Mercedes told her that Quinn would be arriving during Glee. That eased her nerves a little, especially when Sam grabbed her hand and placed a small but assuring kiss on it.

_**Glee**_

Everyone waited on baited breath for Quinn to make her grand entrance.

The only one with an uneasy stomach was of course, Rachel. Sam felt her hand shaking as he held it in his.

"Calm down." He whispered. "Everything will be fine. Just take a deep breath."

She took a few deep breaths until Mr. Schuester came in. "Hey everyone, I'm sure you're all eagerly waiting for Quinn. She'll be here shortly."

After a few torturous minutes, Santana came in followed by Brittany blowing into a paper towel tube making fake trumpet noises. They held the door open as Quinn rolled in with a smile on her face.

Mercedes grinned. "Hi, Quinn! We missed you so much-"

Quinn shook her hands. "Don't-don't."

Rachel felt her chest tighten at the sight of her. Sure, Quinn maybe have looked content but she could still see a bit of innocence in her face like a small child.

Mr. Schuester put his hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Welcome back, Quinn. How are you?"

Quinn shrugged. "I could have easily become one of those creepy memorial pages in the yearbook, but by the grace of God, I'm here. Believe it or not ... this is the happiest day of my life. Here's a lesson for your board, Mr. Schue: Don't speed! Ever. It's the stupidest thing I've ever done... Besides sleeping with Puck." She paused and looked around at everyone. "There's a lot of rumors going around, so let's just clear the air. First of all, all my plumbing still works, which is awesome. But my spine was severely compressed in the car accident which basically means, I can't move my feet or legs. But, the good thing is, is that I'm starting to regain feeling, so with a lot of physical therapy, and your prayers, I stand a good chance of a full recovery. So no tears - that means you, Tina." She eyed Tina who already looked like she was about to cry. Mike put his arm comfortingly around her. "I promise, that by the time we go to Nationals... I'll be out of this chair, and dancing on that stage."

There was a brief silence and then the whole room burst into applause. Mr. Schuester clapped along. "Well said, Quinn."

Tina pulled a bouquet of colorful flowers from under her seat and brought them to her. "These are for you. We would have given them to you at the hospital but you said you didn't want any visitors so..."

Quinn graciously accepted the flowers and reached out to hug her. "Thank you very much, Tina."

Artie rolled up to her and handed her a pair of fingerless gloves. "I got these for you. They'll help you avoid tire burns on your hands when you're rolling."

Puck came up to her and placed a big, obnoxious hat on her head. "Here you go, scout."

She felt the hat. "What's with the hat, Puckerman?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I figured you deserved an award for being so brave in the hospital."

Everyone else took their turns greeting Quinn who embraced them with open arms.

Sam looked over to Rachel and was shocked to see her face pale as milk. He nudged her. "Go on, go say hi."

She stood up and started taking small baby steps toward Quinn's chair.

Quinn noticed her hesitation and gave her a small smile offering out her hand. "Come over here, you silly girl. Don't be afraid, I'm not going to bite you."

Rachel shakily took a few more steps to her and knelt down. Quinn leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the poor girl. "I missed you, Rachel."

She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying. "I missed you too."

Quinn pulled back and played with the ends of her hair. "Now don't start crying now. I'm all right, that's the important thing, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, you are fine."

Quinn patted her back. "Good, very good. Now that your nerves are eased, go back and sit with Sam."

She nodded and went back to her seat. Sam kissed her cheek proudly."

Quinn faced everyone again. "Okay, since I'm back, I'd like to start with a song. Artie and I have been working on for a while as he helped me get used to my wheelchair. Artie?"

Artie smiled and rolled up to her.

_You could never know what it's like__  
__Your blood like winter freezes just like ice__  
__And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you__  
__You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use_

_And did you think this fool could never win  
Well look at me, I'm coming back again  
I got a taste of love in a simple way  
And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away _

_Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind_

I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah

Everyone clapped along cheerfully as she and Artie rolled around the room joyfully.

_Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind_

I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah

Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah  
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah

Everyone stood up clapping and whooping.

"Great job, Quinn and Artie." Mr. Schuester exclaimed. "I like your determined spirit!"

_**The Next Day**_

After Rachel got her books out of her locker, she decided to stop by Quinn's. Sure, yesterday Quinn assured her that everything was going to be okay, but she _still _needed to know if Quinn heard the angry voicemail. She looked across the hallway and spotted Quinn looking around with her locker open. She shakily made her way to her, her stomach tightening with each step.

Quinn saw her and smiled. "Hi, Rachel! Can you grab my books for me? I've been sitting here for five minutes and literally _no one's _stopped to help me out."

Rachel nodded. "Sure, I can help."

She reached up and grabbed the books. After handing them to Quinn, Quinn proceeded to place the books in her backpack.

Rachel knelt down uneasily. "Um...Quinn...did your phone survive the accident?"

Quinn looked up. "Nope, smashed clean and through. But my Mom was nice enough to get me a new one."

Rachel bit her lip. "When you got your new phone...were there any...voicemails on it?"

Quinn shook her head. "Nope, everything was completely wiped. All my contacts, texts, voicemails, everything. I'm pretty sure all the texts said where were you and all. Why?"

Rachel suddenly felt the tears coming up. She grabbed Quinn's hand tightly. "Oh Quinn, I'm so sorry! I was among the voicemails but mine was more angry and bitter. I left it right before we were about to go on and I rambled on how if we messed up, it was your fault." She paused to catch her breath while checking to see Quinn's shocked and confused face. "I'm also so sorry for telling you that you could go crash your car in a ditch for all I cared. I feel so extremely terrible, I haven't been able to sleep or eat much these past few weeks. Now if you want to punch me or spread a nasty rumor about me or make me look like a bad person like you used to, then go ahead. I deserve it. Just...please understand, we were all so stressed and I was so _angry_! But I would _never _intentionally say those things to you. I blame myself...I was angry and now you're in a wheelchair. It's not right, it's not right and it shouldn't be like this. I'm so, so sorry!" She broke down in sobs.

Quinn stared at her shocked...but she felt very sympathetic. Sure, what Rachel did wasn't necessary and uncalled for be she knew how it felt to do something out of anger and frustration so she had no reason to be angry with her. And she was sorry, that was important, too.

She patted Rachel's back. "Rachel, look at me and wipe your face."

Rachel sat up and dabbed her face with a tissue.

Quinn leaned forward and took both her hands. "Well, maybe not, but this is the way it is. My accident - which you did not cause, by the way - does not define me or ruin our senior year. I meant what I said in the choir room. I'm not gonna dwell on this, and neither should any of you. OK? Come here." She opened her arms again and Rachel embraced her tightly. After a few minutes, Rachel was finally calm. "Walk me to class? We'll go early so you can get to first period on time, too."

Rachel nodded. "Want me to carry your backpack?"

Quinn shook her head. "Nah, Artie says I should get used to all kinds of weight put on this chair, including my backpack. But thanks for asking."

As they walked to class, they passed by Sam who gave them a small wave.

Quinn looked up at Rachel. "By the way, you just said you haven't been able to eat or sleep. I can see that. But now that I've forgiven you, you _will _get back to eating and sleeping normally, yes?"

Rachel smiled. "I suppose so. Sam and my Dads have been quite worried about me."

Quinn nodded. "Then I'll sit with you at lunch and make sure you eat _all _of it."

"Oh all right." Rachel replied. "Thanks for forgiving me, I really appreciate it."

"Being a devoted Christian, I must be happy with what I'm given and must always forgive those who do me wrong. Now let's go!"

**AND CUT!**

**Yes, I totally stole most of the big speech dialogue from the episode "Big Brother", DON'T SUE ME!**

**All right, here's the next trivia question: What was the time span of Quinn being in her wheelchair (HINT: What episode did she start using the wheelchair and what episode did she stop using it?)**

**By the way, PLEASE take some time to write a quick review of the chapter along with your trivia answer question. I know that you all are enjoying the trivia but can I also get some feedback here? Ok? Ok.**

**See ya later, babes!**


	28. Like a Virgin

**Hello, everyone! **

**School's going great, love life is still non-existent, nothing much to update on about me.**

**Big shout out to the winner of last chapter's trivia question: Rhatch 89! **

**The correct answer was: Five episodes.**** "****Quinn was in the wheelchair from "Big Brother" to "Prom-asaurus" which was five episodes (Big Brother, Saturday Night Glee-ver, Dance with Somebody, Choke, and Prom-asaurus)." Great job!**

**Next trivia question will be at the end of the chapter. I'm going to mix it up so not all the questions will be Glee related. This question and bonus question will be about the wonderful singer Justin Timberlake. Hopefully you all are fans!**

**Enjoy!**

With Quinn's forgiveness out of her worries, Rachel was relieved that she was _finally _able to have a peaceful relationship with Sam.

Everything _about_ him made her feel completely whole: his kisses, his availability, his openness, his kindness, his ability to defend, everything.

Over time, however, she started to sense that he was getting bored. Sure, they liked being close to each other, but he started to give off this vibe that something was missing. The lovey-dovey was starting to fade a bit and they started seeing each other more as just people instead of someone they were madly in love with. Nothing interesting happened since Quinn's accident that brought them closer than they were so everything just turned into a daily routine.

Publicity was also a small issue. Spring football was at it's peak and the football team had a winning streak going on. Finn and Sam were the star players that everyone admired, _especially_ by girls who saw Rachel as a threat. The reactions were still the same: many Cheerios were outraged that Sam would pick the biggest loser in school over them, regular single girls felt as if Sam was their favorite teacher who just announced that he was engaged and other girls supported them. Rachel tried to be the devoted girlfriend by attending all the football games and made sure she was always by Sam's side just to keep him and every other girl in check.

Many of the girls who found Rachel as a threat decided to push back. They started giving him the star treatment, always talking to him whenever even when Rachel was around, offered to help him with homework, baking him goodies, throwing compliments here and there, etc. And Sam seemed to enjoy it which made Rachel seethe with rage every now and then until Sam gave her an assuring kiss. Soon, she figured that if Sam was enjoying all their attention, then she could do the same thing just as easy. It started with small things like baking extra special delicious goodies that none o the girls could _compare _baking, staying up late nights to check his homework, making sure he had everything he needed whenever she was with him, and all other sorts of things she thought would be proving her love to him. Girls still tried to throw themselves at him, but as long as he knew that she could do it all so much better, then that was the selfless way. Sam made sure not to take too much of an advantage of it, so she pushed harder. She promised herself that she could handle it and that _nothing _could change her or them.

One day, Brad canceled Rachel's piano lesson because it was his daughter's birthday and he was taking her out for dinner. She decided to go to the football field and watch Sam practice since he was her ride for the day. His practice was always about three hours so whenever she got bored, she worked on homework or read a book.

When practice was over, she waited by the boy's locker room for him to change and come out. Coach Beiste bumped into her in the hallway.

"Hey there, Rachel! Are you waiting for Sam?"

She nodded. "Yes I am, Ms. Beiste. Is he still in the locker room?"

Coach Beiste shrugged. "I would think so, I haven't seen anyone exit the locker room yet. If he doesn't show, would you lie me to drive you home?"

Rachel shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm sure he's here. I'll just wait a little bit longer."

Coach Beiste nodded. "All right. Well if he doesn't show up, just call me and I'll have Mr. Schuester come pick you up okay?"

Rachel smiled. "I don't think it will come to that. But thank you, Coach Beiste."

After Coach Beiste left, she waited around for a few more minutes. Suddenly, she heard giggling come from down the hall towards the gym.

"Sam, you are so athletic!"

She poked her head around the corner and saw Sam talking with a few Cheerios. He kept doing impressions and made them giggle like idiots. It made her instantly feel jealous. But why would she feel jealous? Impressions are not a way of flirting.

What _really _ticked her off was the way they were touching him. One kept running her hand down his arm, one kept her hand glued on his shoulder. Another one ran her finger down his chest!

Sam didn't seem to notice for a while but then he shrugged them off when the one cheerio ran her finger down his chest. "Ladies, ladies I'm not a dog! It was nice chatting with you but I see my girl down the hall and I'd _really _like to be in her company right now."

Finger Cheerio pouted and pressed herself up against him. "Come on, Sammy! Let us take you out to dinner, I'm sure your girlfriend won't mind."

He rolled his eyes and stepped back. "Okay first off, only my girlfriend can call me Sammy. Second, I _really _want to be with her right now. See you girls around."

Rachel sighed in relief as he came walking towards her. "Hi, Sammy!"

He grinned. "There's my girl!" He grabbed her by the waist and dipped her, giving her a big juicy kiss. "I missed you."

She smiled against his lips. "I missed you too."

He laced his fingers with hers. "Ready to go?"

She shrugged. "If you're ready."

The ride home was kind of silent except for the radio playing softly. Usually they would have fun-filled conversations but lately there was just nothing much to talk about.

She drummed her hands on her legs. "How was your day?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much happened. Just same old, same old. How was yours?"

"Same." She replied softly.

When they got to her house, she wasn't surprised to see her Dad's weren't home again. Her phone beeped in her pocket and she checked it.

_Daddy and I went out to a dinner meeting tonight. We went grocery shopping so you can make whatever you want for dinner. Love you!_

She sighed. "And I'm alone _again _tonight. Want to come in?"

He shook his head. "Can't. I promised Mercedes' mom I'd help her cook dinner for her Grandpa's birthday tonight. Sorry, beautiful."

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and got out of the car. "It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

After he left, she went into the house and scoured through the groceries to see what she could make for dinner. Finally she settled on making a vegetable pot pie. While she ate, she rang up Santana.

"_Damn it, Berry, you just interrupted my Sex and the City marathon! What do you want?"_

"I'm terribly sorry, Santana but I need to talk to you. It's about Sam."

"_What about Sam? Did he hurt you? Girl if he did, I will bust him in the head with my belt!"_

Rachel laughed. "No, he hasn't hurt me. But I need some advice because our relationship is getting kind of...boring. We barely talk to each other and when we do, there's hardly anything to say!"

This time Santana laughed. _"And you have no idea __**why**__?"_

Rachel picked at her pot pie. "No...but have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"_Of course I'm going to tell you. It makes sense that Sam is starting to get bored because knowing him, he can't play Prince Charming **forever**. He's like a marathon, you have to run and keep up with him. And you, my friend, are still stuck by the starting line."_

Rachel gasped. "Santana Lopez, I take that as an insult!"

"_It's true though."_ Santana replied. _"Relationships usually start all lovey-dovey but they **always **escalate to something more: intimacy. You on the other hand, will always be seen as a fragile little diva in his eyes. Okay, have you seen how the Cheerios act around him?"_

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, they press themselves against him, touch his arms, run their hands down their chests..."

"_Then **that's **what you have to do. If you don't want your relationship to get boring, then you have to become more intimately aggressive. Have you **ever** made any intimate gestures to each other besides kissing? Like has he touched you? Felt your boobs? Put his hands under your shirt?"_

Rachel blinked. "No."

Santana sighed frustrated. _"Girl, you need to make him start paying attention to you. Stop being Princess Jasmine and start being a Tiana! Take charge and work for what you want, don't always rely on him to rescue you."_

"Well what preciously must be done?" Rachel asked.

"_First you need a tiny makeover." _Santana replied. _"Sophomore year was animal sweaters and knee high stockings, junior year was causal dresses, now senior year should be a huge step up. I have a nice dress for you. Meet me at school early tomorrow, Britt and I will make you over so that Sam won't be able to keep his eyes off you."_

Rachel gulped nervously. "But what if I get unwanted attention from other guys and Sam gets jealous?"

"_Then you step on their toes and rebuke their advances, duh! Sure, you'll have a chain of guys drooling around you, but your goal isn't to make Sam jealous. And don't forget to be all touchy-feely. It shouldn't be hard...don't **tell **me you weren't slightly wet when Sam played Rocky when we did Rocky Horror."_

She flushed bright red. "Okay...maybe."

"_Then what's the problem? Sam makes you feel both safe and hot so do something about it! And do it now before he gets too bored and slips away."_

After a while of thinking, she sighed. "Fine, you win. What should I bring tomorrow?"

"_Hmmm...just bring those black and white designer heels you wore that one time. Now those make any girls legs look hot._"

"All right, then. I'll see you and Brittany tomorrow."

After she hung up, she tried not to let the fear sink in. First she was doing everything to keep him happy and occupied and now she was changing her appearance and attitude to keep him happy and occupied. But she'd still be herself, right? Maybe Santana was right...maybe all that was missing was intimacy. Maybe she had to grow up a little and stop trying to live like a Disney movie. She'd be like Sandy in _Grease_. Hopefully it would all work out...but she crossed her fingers just in case.

_**The Next Day**_

Rachel made her way to the girls bathroom with her shoes and was greeted by Santana and Brittany grinning madly. She saw a _ton _of makeup brushes, makeup kits and hair products strewn all over the sinks.

Brittany's grin grew wider. "I _love _makeovers!"

Santana reached into her bag and threw Rachel a skimpy black cocktail dress **(Refer to the black dress Rachel wore in **_**Hairography **_**when Kurt gave her a makeover)**. "First, take off that casual Friday suit and put this on. Go!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and went into the stall. The dress hugged her body just right and barely grazed her knees like her old skirts. "I'm ready!"

"All right, now come on out and let's have a look at you!" Santana called over the stall.

She stepped out and marveled at how both Santana and Brittany's eyes widened and Santana nodded approvingly. "Now _you _look _hot_."

Brittany giggled. "I like it! You look really pretty!"

Rachel ran her hands down the dress. "I do?"

They both nodded. "Yup, but don't you _dare _look in the mirror until we've done your makeup and hair."

They sat her down and began attacking her face. Santana dealt with the makeup, dusting her face off with tons of brushes that consisted of eye shadow, blush, bronzer, foundation, blush, lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, etc. Brittany dealt with hair using a blow-dryer, combs, hairspray, and a hair straightener. As they worked, Rachel felt as if she was being transformed into a brand new person. Somehow, all the makeup Santana was using felt light instead of cakey pancake, and Brittany messing around with her hair was quite relaxing.

Finally, they were finished.

"All right, Rachel, this is your _Princess Diaries _moment. Stand up, turn around and see the magic we've worked." Santana said.

She took a deep breath, stood up and turned around. What she saw in the mirror was a _completely _different person.

Santana had applied smokey-eye shadow, berry red lipstick, baby pink blush, and natural tones foundation. Her face was unrecognizable! As for her hair...all that straightening, blow-drying and combing made her hair very bouncy and voluminous. She looked...stunning!

Brittany squealed and clapped her hands excitedly while jumping up and down. "Rachel, you look _amazing!_"

Santana nodded. "Now _that _looks _hot_, I'm not lying. Sam won't even _think _of paying attention to any other girl after taking a look at you!"

Rachel looked once again in the mirror and fluffed her hair. "I do look pretty, thank you!"

Santana grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face her. "Now the last things we need to teach you...how to throw off unwanted attention and how to talk and act all sexy to Sam. When we're done with you, you'll be the belle of the ball."

_**30 Minutes Later**_

Finally it was time to face the hallway. With Santana and Brittany by her side, she began walking down the hallway. With her hands on her hips and one foot in front of the other, she tried not to pay attention to _every _head that turned when she passes.

Of course, the boys were cat-calling. They planned on slushying her that day but after they saw her, they looked at their slushies confused, not sure what to do with them.

"Hey baby, you making me feel hungry like the wolf! Awooo!"

"Berry, you lookin' _fine!_ Just my type!"

Santana nudged her. She gulped nervously and turned to them. "Sorry, boys." She said, lowering her voice all sultry. "There's only table for one at_ Chez Berry_ and you forgot to make a reservation."

She turned and continued walking but one of the other football players grabbed her arm roughly. "Come on, baby, let me take you out. I promise you'll have a _great _time."

She frowned and stomped on his toe hard with the tip of her heels. "Back off, slimeball! I don't like it rough!"

He looked outraged and tried to lunge at her but Santana stepped in between them and glared at him. "Turn around and walk away or all hell's gonna break loose!"

Rachel turned and saw Sam down the hallway. "There's Sam!"

Brittany nodded. "Go to him, we'll hold them off."

Rachel nodded and took a deep breath as she made her way to his locker. When she got there, she leaned against the one next to his and lowered her voice again. "Hey there, stranger."

Sam took one look at her and dropped his backpack. "Rachel! Wow...what are you wearing?"

She smiled and twirled around. "Just a little something I found in my closet. You like?"

He whistled. "It's a nice dress. And you've done something different to your hair and makeup, I see."

She giggled and ran her hand down his arm. "Oh Sammy, you're so good at noticing. I sure hope you like it."

He grinned. "What's with the sudden change of appearance?"

She shrugged. "Every girl needs a change in scenery every now and then. And this look is reserved only for _you._" She tapped his nose playfully. "Now how 'bout a kiss?"

He kissed her cheek and closed his locker. "I'll see you at lunch, babe."

She winked. "See you there, babe."

On his way to class, he passed by Santana and Brittany giggling like schoolgirls. "Okay, what did you do to her?"

Santana shrugged. "Hey, she wanted a makeover and asked us."

"She looks really pretty, doesn't she?" Brittany asked.

He shrugged. "It's...a new look. Sure, she looks sexy..."

For the rest of the day, Rachel made sure to keep herself by Sam's side. When she was, she would imitate how she saw the Cheerios by touching his arms and chest. All the other boys didn't dare try to flirt with her after watching her stomp on one of the football player's feet with her heels. The other girls shot her dirty looks but didn't dare approach them.

During lunch, Puck whistled when he saw them at their table. "Well looks like my hot little Jewish-American Princess is all grown up! Look at you...you've transformed from Mrs. Potts to Selena!"

Rachel chuckled and playfully pushed him. "Noah, you are so charming." She turned to Sam. "My Dads are going to be out again tonight. If you want, maybe you could come over...have some dinner...watch a movie..."

Sam grinned and kissed her cheek. "Sure, why not? I love spending time with you."

During free period, she made her way to the bathroom and saw Santana and Brittany leaning against the sink. "Great job today, Rachel."

She smiled and fluffed her hair. "Why thank you, I owe it to you. He's coming over later."

Brittany clapped. "Yay! So are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Rachel asked.

Santana crossed her arms. "You know...have sex? Seal the deal? "

Her jaw dropped outraged. "Wait, what? That wasn't part of the plan!"

"But it's a _reward _for the plan." Santana said slyly. "Sam would want it anyway...do it, and you'll keep him forever. And he's done so much for you: all those singing-grams just to win you back. You love him, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, I do."

Santana shrugged. "Then what's the problem? People do this when they're in love, Rachel. And anyways, _everyone _winds up losing their virginity in high school. Heck, even Finn's not a virgin anymore!"

"Sanatana's doing." Brittany whispered.

Rachel leaned against the sink. "That's a bit of pressure...I don't think I'm ready."

"Better to get it done now before it's too late." Santana replied.

She sighed. "I sure hope you're right..."

"Look at it this way." Brittany said. "You're not doing it because you're desperate to keep him. You're doing it because you both _love _each other."

Rachel bit her lip and nodded. "All right...I can do this." However, inside she knew the couldn't.

_**Later**_

True to his word, Sam stayed after dropping Rachel off at her house. He noticed that she was a bit fidgety and nervous during the car ride home but he thought she was just exhausted after a hard day's work.

When they got inside, she pointed to the couch. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm just going to change into something more comfortable."

He shrugged. "All right, I'll go pick out a movie."

When she got to her room, she contemplated what to change into. She was relieved to slip out of the tight black dress, it made her feel so exposed the whole day. Usually when she got home, she would wash her makeup off and change into sweat pants but she sure couldn't feel or be intimate with Sam if she was dressed so simple. She settled for a pair of purple workout shorts and a white tank top. She washed all the makeup off her face and re-applied just a small bit...just enough to let her face _breathe._

When she got downstairs, she saw Sam sitting on the couch comfortably. He held up an _E.T. _DVD. "I thought we'd watch a classic. Is that okay?"

She nodded. "Sure, I love classics. And how about I make us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

He rubbed his hands together. "Yum, sounds great! Let me help you..."

He tried to get off the couch but she walked up behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "No no, you just sit here and relax. You had an exhausting day, _I'll _make the sandwiches."

He stared at her uncertainly and sat back down on the couch. "Okay then, I'll put in the movie."

While she made the sandwiches, she heard him humming in the living while the movie started. She brought the sandwiches over and sat down next to him on the couch, draping her legs over his lap. He reached over her legs and began eating her sandwich.

During the movie, she kept shifting positions, getting closer and closer to him as possible. One minute her legs were draped over his lap, the next moment she was cuddling him like a teddy bear, another moment she laid her head in his lap.

When the movie was over, he stretched out and patted her legs. "So, what do you want to do now?"

She nuzzled his neck. "Oh, I think I have an idea. I just _love _being close to you."

He smiled and kissed her deeply. Suddenly, she moved and straddled his lap, which shocked him a bit. He broke off the kiss and held her out by her shoulders. "Whoa there, big girl. Why so aggressive?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "We love each other, right? Isn't this what you want? I think I'm ready."

He wanted to believe it but he still saw a bit of innocence and hesitation in her eyes. "No you're not. I can see it in your eyes. I _knew _there was something fishy about your so-called makeover. Did Santana and Brittany tell you something?"

She opened her mouth but closed it. Her face turned bright red so she crawled off his lap and covered her face with her hands. "Gosh, I shouldn't have listened to them. I _knew _ I wasn't ready for this! But I did it only for you, Sam."

He rubbed her back. "You tried to change your whole appearance and attitude for _me? _Why?"

She looked up at him tearfully. "Because I could tell you were getting bored with our relationship. I went to Santana for advice and she told me that our relationship was just same old-same old and that it needed to escalate to _intimacy. _That I needed to be just like you to keep up with you. And I was jealous of how every girl in school was treating you to catch your attention. I was afraid of losing you!"

He sighed and wiped her tear from her eyes. "Honey, you would _never _lose me. I've worked my ass off to win you back, remember? You think I want you to _change_? Rachel, I absolutely love everything about you, even your virginal qualities. I don't want to pressure you to being too intimate, I'm willing to wait until the end of time for you. I don't _want _you to change for me."

She sniffed. "Really?"

He hugged her to him. "Really, _that's _how much I love you. And besides, I _never _feel like having sex when I'm with you. I may have used to with other girls, but you're something different. I feel confident, complete...whole. You're the only reason I get up in the morning. Your smile can bring me out of whatever mood I'm in. When I'm near you, I can't breathe...I can't think. During the day, I can't _stand _being away from you. You're one of the only good things in my life and I swear, I wouldn't want you to change for _anything_."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "Thank you." She whispered. "I love you, thank you for helping me see that."

He grabbed a tissue out of the tissue box that was conveniently placed on the side table and handed it to her. "This subject actually makes me think of a song that reminds me of you. Want me to sing it?"

She nodded. "Sure, I love hearing you sing."

He fetched his guitar that was sitting by his backpack and began to play.

_I made it through the wilderness  
Somehow I made it through  
Didn't know how lost I was  
Until I found you_

I was beat incomplete  
I'd been had, I was sad and blue  
But you made me feel  
Yeah, you made me feel  
Shiny and new 

_Like a virgin__  
__Touched for the very first time__  
__Like a virgin__  
__When your heart beats__  
__Next to mine_

She leaned against him and nuzzled his neck while he continued singing.

_Gonna give you all my love, girl  
My fear is fading fast  
Been saving it all for you  
'Cause only love can last_

You're so fine and you're mine  
Make me strong, yeah you make me bold  
Oh your love thawed out  
Yeah, your love thawed out  
What was scared and cold

_Like a virgin  
Touched for the very first time  
Like a virgin  
When your heart beats  
Next to mine _

_Oooh, oooh, oooh_

He nudged her and she began singing along with him.

_You're so fine and you're mine  
I'll be yours 'till the end of time  
'Cause you made me feel  
Yeah, you made me feel  
I've nothing to hide _

_Like a virgin  
Touched for the very first time  
Like a virgin  
When your heart beats  
Next to mine _

_Like a virgin, ooh, ooh  
Like a virgin  
Feels so good inside  
When you hold me (when you hold me)  
When your heart beats (when your heart beats)  
When you love me (when you love me baby)_

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (yeah)  


_Like a virgin _

He set the guitar down and grinned. "See? That's how you make me feel. And I _never _want that feeling to go away, that's how much I love you."

She sighed and started playing with his hair. "I love you too. And I'm sorry for...almost trying to rape you ha ha."

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, I kind of liked it."

She smiled seductively and ran her hand down his chest. "I know you did, especially _that_."

He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I like you just the way you are, don't forget that."

They decided to watch another movie and wound up falling asleep. Soon, they were shaken awake by Hiram and Leroy back from their meetings.

Rachel gasped and waved her hands frantically. "Dad, Daddy we didn't do anything!"

Leroy chuckled. "We know, baby girl because you both are still clothed. Were you two okay by yourselves?"

Sam nodded. "Yes sir...and I was just leaving."

Hiram patted his shoulder. "Come now, stay the night again Sam! We enjoyed your company."

"And if you do, you two can finally let the teenage love-making commence!" Leroy added.

Sam and Rachel exchanged awkward glances and began to turn red.

Both Dads threw their heads back and laughed. "We're just kidding. But please, do stay the night Sam. It's getting late anyways, almost ten p.m."

Sam shrugged and smiled. "All right, then I'll stay."

Leroy clapped his hands. "Great! I'll go set up the guest room and retrieve your sleeping clothes."

Sam and Rachel leaned their heads against each other again.

_Another night, another dream, but always you,  
Its like a vision of love that seems to be true,  
Another night another dream, but always you,  
In the night I dream of love so true. _

**And CUT!**

**Hope you all can brush up on your Justin Timberlake song trivia! Here's the first question: In the song **_**Senorita, **_**Justin makes the guys and ladies sing two parts (****Now listen...I wanna try somethin' right now...See they don't do this anymore...I'ma sing something...). What are the lyrics to the guy part (And I want the guys to sing wit' me...They go...) and the lyrics to the girl part (And then the ladies go …)?**

**Bonus Question (If you watched the VMAs on Sunday): In what order of the songs was the Justin Timberlake medley performed (including with NSYNC)?**

**Enjoy! And THINK, THINK, THINK!**


	29. Be Selfless

**Hey there, party people! It's PROM time! Or at least...PRE-prom time in this chapter.**

**The winner of last chapter's question is once again: RHatch89! Yo, this person is on a roll!**

**The correct answer for question 1 is: Guy part- "It feels like something's heating up; can I leave with you?" and the girl part- "I don't know what I'm thinking 'bout, really leaving with you." Bonus answer: ****"Take Back the Night", "SexyBack", "Like I Love You", "My Love", "Cry Me A River", "Senorita", "Rock Your Body", "Gone", "Girlfriend", "Bye Bye Bye", "Suit & Tie," and "Mirrors".**

**Next question will be at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

It was a few weeks until prom and everyone was very excited, especially when Principal Figgins announced the nominees for prom court.

Prom King-Puck, Finn, Sam, and Brittany (who nominated herself a billion times claiming it as her right as class president.)

Prom Queen-Santana, Quinn, Miranda Weiss (President of McKinley High's Mock United Nations Club) and once again Brittany (who continuously argued about her right as class president)

One day, Quinn rolled up Sam as he was putting books in his locker. "Hi, Sam! Congratulations on your nomination for Prom king."

He smiled. "Thanks, Quinn, you too. Are you excited?"

She nodded. "Very. Have you thought about how you're going to campaign?"

Suddenly Sam's face fell. "Oh...uh...I never really thought about it much. I really don't know."

Quinn chuckled. "Hey, it's all right, I can help you with that. But in return, do you think you can help _me _with my campaign?"

He shrugged. "Sure, what do you need help with?"

"I'm already working on posters to hang up and such but I can't parade around school trying to get supporters by myself nor can I hang the posters. I just need help on simple things like hanging out posters and giving out buttons and such, no biggie." She replied. "Maybe you can get some inspiration for _you're _campaign while you're helping me."

He slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Sure, I can help you with that, no problem. When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow, before school. I'm almost done with the posters and my Mom is helping me make buttons." She said while plucking something off his shirt. "Sorry, you had a bit of dog hair on your shirt."

He laughed. "It's fine, I was playing with Mercedes' dog Ray last night. I hope you're not allergic if you need me to help you out."

She shook her head. "No, not at all! I love animals. Well I'll see you around then." She wheeled past him and headed to class.

Right then, Rachel appeared. "Hi, Sammy!" She exclaimed before kissing his cheek. "Congrats on your nomination, I'm sure you'll win."

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Thanks, babe. What's up?"

She stared at Quinn rolling away. "What did Quinn want?"

He shrugged. "Eh, she asked me to help her with her campaign hanging posters and stuff. She also said she could help me with mine."

Rachel stared at him oddly. "You know _I _ can help you with that, right? I may not have been nominated but I can help you get some publicity and support around here."

He nodded. "I know, Rach, you can too. I also want Quinn's help because she has a bit of experience with this prom campaign stuff, you know? But you can help me too." He hugged her to him and squeezed tightly.

She giggled and pushed him playfully. "All right, all right. Now let's get to class."

_**The Next Day**_

Sam and Quinn got to school early to start putting up her posters around school He'd wheel her around and she'd pick random spots on the walls to tape the posters.

During their free period, they roamed the hallways handing out buttons and hanging more posters. Lots of people approached them to tell Quinn how much they admire her courage and secured their vote for her.

One random girl had some particularly nice things to say. "Oh my God...Quinn Fabray, you are _so _brave for doing this!"

Quinn gave her a small smile. "Thank you." Suddenly, her attitude turned from neutral to dramatically depressing. "The atrophy in my leg is a constant reminder of slow, withering remnants of my past life. And it's pretty hard knowing that I may never walk again." Sam took note that the girl looked like she was about to start crying. "People like you inspire me. Your healthy, normal legs are beautiful!" Quinn finished.

The girl's lip started quivering and she put her hand on Quinn's shoulder. "You deserve this. You got my vote." She walked away wiping tears from her eyes.

Sam stared at Quinn. "That was...strange.

Suddenly Jacob Israel appeared with his camera man, microphone ready in hand. "Hey guys, I'm doing Prom nominee interviews for my gossip blog. Do you mind?"

Instead of waiting for a reply, he sprung into action. Getting down on his knees, he thrust the microphone in Quinn's face. "Miss Fabray, are you planning on using your injury to gather sympathy votes in hope that you'll win Prom Queen fair and square _this _year?"

She smiled sweetly. "No way. Let me tell you something, sweetie, I don't want anyone to vote for me because they feel sorry for me. I want to win fair and square."

Jacob then turned to Sam. "Sam Evans, I just took a survey asking people who they were going to vote for as King and your name rarely came up. In fact, most people prefer Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman than you! How does that make you feel?

Sam suddenly felt sick. "Wait, what? I'm not getting many votes?"

Jacob turned to the camera. "You heard it here, folks. Prom King nominee Sam Evans is oblivious and clueless to the fact that he is not making any progress toward being your new king. Now we're going to the boy's locker room in hopes interview Noah Puckerman while he's still in the shower."

He scurried off before Sam had a chance to react. "Wait, come back! My interview's not over yet!"

Quinn whistled. "Wow, that's too bad, Evans. Maybe not a lot of people like you enough to vote for you."

Sam frowned. "Eh, it's all right. I still have next year...maybe. Let's just finish putting up these posters."

After a while, Quinn suddenly got an idea. "Hey, I have a great idea! If you want to boost your votes, you should campaign with _me!"_

He stared at her confused. "How do I do that?"

She pointed to her poster. "First off, we should make posters that have me _and _you on it saying **VOTE FOR QUINN FABRAY AND SAM EVANS**. That will get attention. I'm quite surprised you haven't been getting many votes especially since you're on the football team."

He rubbed his neck nervously. "I find that odd too."

She put her hand on his arm. "Also, you should parade around with me while we promote ourselves. We're one of three hottest blondes in school next to Brittany, so people would simply _have _to vote for us. What do you say?"

He shrugged. "Well I'll have to talk it over with Rachel. She might be a little uncomfortable with me promoting myself with you."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Sam, she doesn't _own_ you, you'd be doing this for yourself. Don't you even want to attempt to win? Don't you think it would be nice standing on that stage, accepting your crown and title?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it would be nice. Just let me run it by her so it doesn't look like I'm sneaking around behind her back."

She shrugged. "If you say so. But remember Sam, you're doing it for _yourself_ not her."

_**Later That Day**_

Much to Sam's surprise, Rachel was _not _okay with it.

"No no no no _NO!"_ She screeched in the hallway, ignoring all the stares she was receiving.

"Rachel, calm down!" Sam pleaded.

She shook her head. "No, I will _not_ calm down! How could you let Quinn convince you into doing this? Have you even _thought _about us?"

Sam looked confused. "What are you talking about? We're still going together, right?"

Rachel sighed frustrated and held her head in her hand. "Sam, you don't get this whole Prom court hing, do you? Not _only _do the nominees promote themselves by hanging posters and parading around school, they also spend the majority of Prom leading up to the counting of the votes promoting themselves in hopes of gaining last minute-votes. And since you're collaborating with Quinn, you'll have to spend the majority of Prom night with her including the mandatory nominee dance before the crowning. _That's _why I'm unhappy because I'll have to spend the majority of prom night _without _you!"

Sam felt his whole chest sink. "Really?" he asked weakly.

She nodded. "Really, Sam. I mean, I'm _happy _that you want to promote yourself for prom king but I'm just a little shocked that you chose to campaign with Quinn unaware that you will have t spend the majority of the night with her."

He hugged her to him again. "Babe, I should have known, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt us. Do you want me to drop out of the election so we can go to prom together?"

After a minute, she shook her head. "No, Sam. You should continue it. I mean, you're running for Prom king for crying out loud! Don't stop on my account."

He looked down sheepishly. "I only agreed to campaign with Quinn because Jacob Israel told me that everyone's already planning on voting for Finn and Puck instead of me."

Rachel blew some air out of her mouth. "Well if you think it'll help you win, then I say go for it. I'm sorry for being so bitter about it, but if it will help my boyfriend win, then I'll be a big girl and deal with it."

"But what about you?" Sam asked. "I don't want to leave you alone while I'm running around with Quinn doing some last minute promotions."

She shrugged. "I can just hang out with Kurt and Blaine or something."

He thought for a second. "Wait a second...Rory doesn't have a date. Sugar's going with Artie so Rory's going solo. Maybe we can do like a triple date thing so when I'm with Quinn, you can hang out with Rory until I get back. That'll be fun, won't it?"

She smiled. "I suppose so. Let's run it by him and see what he thinks."

They found him in an empty classroom writing postcard. "Hello there, Rachel and Sam. Just writing up a postcard to send to me Gram. How can I help you?"

Rachel sat down across from him. "Hi, Rory. Are you going to prom?"

He shrugged and continued writing. "I don't know. I was originally going to ask Sugar but Artie beat me to it so I don't have anyone."

"Well we have an idea, Rory." Sam said. "I'm going to be campaigning for prom court with Quinn including on prom night so Rachel might be alone for a while while I'm with her. If you wanted, all three of us could go together so that way Rachel won't be lonely when I'm running around campaigning with Quinn on prom night. Whaddaya say?"

Rory smiled. "I'd actually like that. I did want to go to prom but I didn't think I'd have fun without a date. But wouldn't it be awkward being the third wheel with you two?"

"Sam won't be around most of the night." Rachel replied. "But that means I'll have even more time with you. And we can hang out with everyone else too like Mike, Tina, Kurt, Blaine, everyone!"

Rory thought for a while and then grinned. "All right, I accept your proposal. So we're just going as friends?"

Sam nodded. "To make it equal, yes. All three of us will just go as friends."

Rory gave them a thumbs up. "Sweet! I accept."

Rachel squealed and hugged him. "I promise, you'll have the _best _time!"

_**Later**_

After school, Sam noticed that Rachel had something on her mind as he was grabbing his jacket out of his locker. "Everything okay, babe?"

She sighed. "I'm fine. I mean, I'm _happy _that you'll get a chance to promote yourself or prom king and that we're giving Rory a chance to go to prom, it's just that I'm still a little sad that I'll be spending the majority of my senior prom without you."

He closed his locker and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey...it's okay. You'll still have fun even with those periods of time without me, and I'll still have time with you. I'll dance with you as much as I can, okay? But while I'm gone, make sure Rory has a great time."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "You really are self-less, you know that?"

He shrugged. "Hey, that's why you love me. An you are too which is why I love you."

They lace their fingers together and left school smiling happily.

**And here's the next trivia question. This will be a "fill in the lyrics question". The song is "Dance, Magic, Dance" by David Bowie used in the movie _Labyrinth. _The bonus question will be about the movie _Bicentennial Man _starring Robin Williams.**

**Question 1:You remind me of the babe. _ _ The babe with the power. _ _ The power of voodoo. _ _ You do. _ _ Remind me of the babe.**

**Bonus Question: What is the repeated phrase that Andrew uses whenever someone thanks him for doing something?**


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